


Finally

by unicornball



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Artistic License, Background Het, Bit of language kink, Bottom Harry, Crossover Pairings, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Female Slash (non-explicit), Fluff and Smut, Kid Fic, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Male Slash, Minor Character Death, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Non-Canon/EWE, Oral Sex, Rimming, Switch Harry, non-explicit mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:57:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 358,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unicornball/pseuds/unicornball
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <strong>Harry and Draco find themselves in Forks, WA. Naturally, we're dealing with your good ol' werewolves and wizards combo. </strong>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Of course, I don't own any of the characters -they belong to their respective creators. I'm just making them do perverted things since they didn't._  
>  _This is a m/m, cross-over story. Lots of gay in here, but not a 'everybody is gay!' world (as tempting as that was). I will pretty much ignore quite a few realities set in either book/movie series to make things work like I want. So. Fair warning._
> 
> _The main pairings: Harry Potter/Jacob Black and Draco Malfoy/OMC._
> 
> _Thank you and enjoy! :)_

Harry Potter stares at the missive in his hand with a frown on his face. He absently notices the owl that delivered it is still perched on the chair next to him, awaiting a response. He glares at the bird for a moment before his attention is drawn to the parchment again. Denied. He can't believe it. He'd finally finished his N.E.W.T.s, applied for a teaching job and he holds the proof that the Ministry is trying to dictate his life. Again.

He gives the owl a glance before he makes his way over to his desk and starts looking for something to write with. He finally locates his Muggle pen and a piece of paper and with a grin, sends a reply. He keeps it simple and attaches it to the owl and sends him on his way.

Later, he's angrily pacing the parlor of Grimmauld Place. "I just don't get it!" he seethes, throwing his hands up as he paces along the threadbare carpeting in front of the sofa.

Draco Malfoy is casually sitting on the small sofa, one ankle propped on his opposite knee as he watches Harry, his silvery grey eyes tracking Harry's agitated movements with a small smirk on his face.

Harry rounds on the blonde, his hands curling into fists. "How the fuck can they get away with this?" Harry glares at a spot over the blonde's head as he shakes his own.

A year ago, Draco probably would have flinched at the actions and fierce look on the other wizard's face but he knows better now. Harry is pissed and Draco is silently glad he's no longer the focus of such emotions and actions anymore.

Draco clears his throat and waits until Harry's gaze settles on him before he speaks. "It is unfair. I completely agree. However," he holds up a hand when Harry opens his mouth to disagree, "I think this will work out for the better. For you. I mean, without this kind of push, you'd be stuck here instead of trying something new," he argues reasonably.

Harry glares for a moment, "I was _trying_ to do something new. Everyone expects—and wants—me to be an Auror." Harry sneers and Draco has to hide a smirk at the expression. "I was trying to get into teaching. But no!" he slams a fist into his open palm for emphasis, not noticing Draco wince slightly. "Somehow that bastard Kingsley intercepts the damn bird and ruins my chances." Harry paces some more, muttering angrily.

Draco tsks and shakes his head, "I know, I saw the letter." He gets up and makes his way across the room to get the parchment off the small desk. He waves it in Harry's direction for a moment before reading it again. "You know," he muses aloud, "something like this would be enough to drive Harry Potter to leave." He smirks at Harry's confused face. "I'm serious. You've said yourself you wanted to travel. Now you can. You don't want to be an Auror, which this letter practically demands, and you know that bastard will try his damnedest to block any other career path. So. Go where he can't. I was thinking America," he says thoughtfully, tapping his chin with two fingers as if lost in thought. "We can pick some place at random, since neither of us have a clue where we'd like to go."

He doesn't say the 'and nothing to keep us here' thought aloud, as true as it may be. Harry had a few friends still, and Teddy... but with floo travel, he wouldn't be missing out on anything.

Harry sputters for a moment. " _We?_ "

Sure, they're friends now. Best friends actually, since Ron couldn't handle Harry getting on with his life and becoming friends with Draco. (Or maybe it was Harry refusing to get back together with Ginny that did it; he doesn't know and never cared to ask for specific reasons.) After the war, he just couldn't see the point in holding grudges and cautiously approached Draco to return his wand. He was pleasantly surprised when Draco took it politely and thanked him.

They got thrown into an 'eighth year' common room once they went back to Hogwarts to get their N.E.W.T.s. They became cautious friends when they actually _talked_ to each other and learned how to get along. It hadn't been hard, once the pair got a better understanding of each other. He was pleasantly surprised to find out how funny Draco could be, especially when he wasn't making fun of him and his friends. Hermione kept civil around the blonde but even she kept her distance from Draco—and consequently Harry. Harry mourned the loss of his old friends but he refused to live in the past and moved forward with Draco alone since he was sick of doing everything for everyone else.

Draco smiles and Harry can't help but smile back. "Yes. _We_. I'm not settling down yet, Potter. I sure as Merlin am not about to let you wander the world alone. You'd probably wind up canoodling with Muggles." He smirks at Harry's affronted glare. "Now, you know I'm over the whole 'kill all Muggles' thing—which I didn't really believe in anyway," he says with a playful glare. "Would you rather go alone?"

The last is asked sincerely and Harry is amused to notice Draco now looks nervous, biting his bottom lip slightly as he waits for Harry to answer. Harry has been surprised to learn that Draco is terrible at hiding his emotions. Or Harry is getting better at reading them. His silvery grey eyes are always betraying him, and Harry is already shaking his head so Draco will stop looking so uncertain.

"No, I would really rather not go alone." Harry grins when Draco smirks in triumph and pumps a fist in the air. He doesn't have to ask why Draco wants to go. Shortly after they became friends Harry, red faced and fearing rejection, told Draco he wasn't exactly straight. The blonde had howled with laughter and eloquently said 'Duh, Potter' before saying he wasn't either.

He had been shocked to learn that Draco was going to happily defy his parents, and pure-blood tradition, by not marrying the witch he was betrothed to and father an heir. He was amazed (and a little impressed) until Draco informed him, with the biggest grin he had ever seen on his face, that he wasn't going to be disowned since he knew wizards can carry babies as well. He had gaped and demanded proof, fearing being made fun of. Draco was basically escaping the arranged marriage his mother was still trying to talk him into. It seemed more or less a power/money thing at this point though and her pleas weren't phrased as demands.

"However—" Harry holds up a finger, "I refuse to travel like some snooty pure-blood. We're not going to rough it," he quickly adds with a roll of his eyes when Draco stares at him horrified, "But I'd like to blend in a bit. Low key. Casual. Okay?"

Draco nods reluctantly and raises his chin. "Alright. Fine. I can be understated." At Harry's laugh, he flips him an obscene hand gesture and walks across the room to a bookshelf. "I know I saw maps in here..." he trails off as he looks through the shelves. "Aha!" he says triumphantly as he pulls a large rolled up piece of parchment from a small nook. Harry wanders over to look at it as Draco unrolls it. The map looks ancient and he raises an eyebrow in question. "I know, but it's magical, Harry." Draco rolls his eyes at Harry, still getting caught by surprise at Harry's lack of knowledge of the wizarding world and his near Muggle ways. "It updates itself as needed, so it's currant," he says absently, his gaze traveling quickly across the map. "Where shall we go?"

Harry looks closely at the map. It's amazingly detailed; there are little bumps for mountains and small puddles indicating bodies of water. "Maybe a coast? I kind of want to see a beach, but nowhere hot. I don't know though," he muses with a shrug. "Can we pick at random? I think that will be fun." Draco looks up with a grin and nods, taking out his wand.

Draco mutters something under his breath and before Harry can blink, his finger jerks forward, makes a few circles over the map and dips down sharply to point to a random spot on the map. The western cost of America. Both eyebrows raise up with interest as he rolls his finger slightly to the side to see if he can see a town name. "Washington. But I don't see a city or town name."

Draco hums and nods distractedly, "That means it's small. Which is a good start, I think." He mutters again and the map shifts and zooms in so they get a closer look at the map.

Harry can now clearly make out several town names and quickly looks under his finger and murmurs "Forks," he announces, forehead wrinkling.

Draco grins and claps Harry on the shoulder. "Well, looks like we're heading to Forks. I know you'll want to owl Hermione, so get that out of the way and then get packed and let's go!" He quickly snaps the map out from under Harry's finger, rolls it back up and shoves it back on the shelf before he practically runs from the room.

Harry looks after Draco with a bemused smile. He never thought he'd see the day he'd see Draco Malfoy bound happily from a room like a 5-year-old. With a smile on his face, he sets out to get packed and write Hermione before Draco can nag and annoy him.

~oOo~

Jacob Black stares moodily out at the grey water.

He can easily smell the salty tang of the water and thankfully all he can hear is the gentle roar and tumbling of the waves. He's been getting restless and agitated a lot more these days and he isn't sure why. Sam likes to tease him and say he is having 'his time of the month', but he's pretty sure it's connected with his wolf... business. He doesn't know but he's not about to curse the wolf he carries with him. Even if it is fucking up his life.

Bella is... well... gone as far as he is concerned. He had last seen her at her big white wedding and refused to bother hanging around her since. He was sick of her confusing signals, getting irritated and downright annoyed when she tried to snuggle against him while they danced at her own damn wedding. The relief he felt when it didn't affect him was overshadowed by annoyance and he left without looking back.

The pack didn't have any more conflicts with vampires, so life is pretty much quiet and tame now. He should be happy about that, but he only feels bored and antsy. Sam still has them patrol, for reasons only he knew. Jake doesn't complain; he still enjoys the feeling of his body shifting into the wolf and spending a few hours just _being_. As long as he's phased alone, it's the most peaceful time he gets to stop thinking and just feel.

Jake frowns, his personal life isn't as boring any more. He was shocked, and a little upset with himself, when he was in town one day and found himself ogling a strange guy at the diner. _Ogling_. A _guy_.

It's these kinds of thoughts that brought him to the beach at La Push, sitting here in the middle of March, to brood and question in solitude. Not that the cold bothers him. If he didn't see the plume of steamy breath coming from him, he probably wouldn't know it was cold. He briefly glances down at his attire; shorts and a black wife beater. He briefly wonders how many people (OK, guys, he admits only to himself) would ogle _him_. He's probably good looking enough.

Ugh.

He makes a face at himself and tries to clear his thoughts. He is due to meet up to patrol in 10 minutes and he doesn't want any of those thoughts in his head, free to be picked up by the pack. He's so not ready to let the others know he's... different. They would freak out. Hell, _he's_ still freaking out about it and he's had some time to think and brood.

He thoughts wander again as he glowers at the grey crashing waves. He folds his arms across his chest and doesn't care if he looks like a petulant, angsty teenager at the moment. He feels like one and he enjoys the solitude, continuing his private tantrum.

How is he supposed to imprint and have super wolf babies if he's gay? Can he even imprint on a guy? If not, why is he attracted to them? The thought gives him pause. Is he even going to imprint? On a woman? He had never been attracted to any woman before, not really even Bella. Would imprinting make him be attracted to a woman? It's an oddly unsettling thought.

Fuck. So confusing.

A soft cracking noise has Jake's head whipping around, looking for the sound. It almost sounded like a tree snapping or something. A frown slowly crawls onto his face, his eyes narrowing. Few things can snap a tree and he isn't hearing, or sensing, anything at all. After a tense moment, he hears voices coming from the small cluster of trees that faces the beach. He stands up taller and strains his hearing but he only barely make out two voices. Male voices. The voices are deep enough to be male, anyway. His frown deepens when he notices they're talking with accents. He's confused and a bit horrified when he feels his cock twitch in his shorts when one of the voices say something.

Indecision grips Jake fiercely and he fists his hands as he listens to the men talking. Did he leave or get closer? He wants to act but a large part of him doesn't feel threatened, even though he knows those men are strangers. He doesn't know if they're dangerous strangers, though. He unconsciously worries his lip with uncharacteristic uncertainty, gaze flicking around the wooded area in the hopes of seeing the strangers.

It doesn't take long before he can see two figures making their way out of the trees. One has light (almost white) blonde hair and the other is a mess of black. As they get closer, Jake notices the dark haired one is wearing glasses (squinting and turning his head away quickly when the sun glints off them) and both carry large packs on their back.

Jake can't help it, his gaze roams the dark haired man's body, much to his embarrassment. The stranger is on the short side (to _anyone_ , not just him) and thin but even from this distance Jake can tell he is well built. Not scrawny; but slim and strong. Lithe. The word flashes through his mind but he doesn't even wonder how he knows it, rather absorbed in looking at the dark haired stranger. His embarrassment fades as he continues to look, finding what he's seeing to be quite appealing.

Both men are wearing dark, loose fit jeans with hoodies and Jake gets the strange impression they're playing dress-up in the clothes. Expensive looking but plain sneakers adorn both their feet and he purses his lips in thought. Who wears sneakers when they go hiking? New sneakers, if the stark whiteness is to be believed. He keeps completely still, lost in his thoughts. Strange, unsure thoughts.

He watches as both men turn slightly and look at the water, neither seeming that put-off by the dreary atmosphere. Jake unconsciously leans forward just a bit as the dark haired one smiles, and makes a happy whooping noise before he laughs and trots towards the water's edge. He scowls when he feels his stomach swoop and his hips twitch towards the man at the sound. What the _fuck_? He watches warily as the blonde walks towards the water, cautiously keeping behind the dark haired man as if providing (or maybe seeking) protection. Or maybe he's wary of being near the water. It wouldn't be the first time he's seen a grown man scared of water, unable to swim and keeping a safe distance.

Jake notices both men shiver and wrap their arms around their bodies in an effort to warm themselves and he is shocked when he feels an embarrassingly strong urge to run over and swoop the dark haired stranger into his arms, warming him with his own body heat. He shivers as well and he knows it's not from the cold. He can hear the men talking again, happily from the tone, but he can't make out many words. 'Merlin', 'beach', 'bloody cold' and 'Forks' are all he can catch, even with his sensitive hearing. The crashing waves keep sweeping the dark haired mans words away and Jake glares out at waves; how dare they take his voice from his ears?

He is still frozen to the spot, watching the two men—okay, mostly the dark haired one. He knows he's fast approaching the time he has to leave for his patrol and he's shocked to feel hesitant to leave now. He wants to stand here and stare for however long the man would be there. Sam will have his ass, and he doesn't want to have to explain his lateness. 'Sorry, I was perving on some guy at the beach' just really didn't sound like something he would want to say. Out loud. To anyone. _Especially_ Sam.

He doesn't realize he's even walking towards the men until the dark haired man whirls around, a short stick in his hand, and pins him with the greenest eyes he's ever seen. The eyes are hard and full of painful promises. Jake is quick to drop his gaze immediately, looking somewhere over his shoulder, and his mouth opens a bit in a stupid gape as his hands go up instinctively in a surrendering gesture. It's humbling, that's for sure. He's never felt that urge to submit, even for Sam.

Jake dares a peek, embarrassed at his almost immediate submission. He sees the dark haired man blush, fighting the strangest urge to touch the heated skin with his fingertips, and tucking the stick into the back pocket of his jeans. He's relieved to see the other man's body has relaxed a bit and no longer looking like he wants to kill him with a glance. He wonders how true the thought is as he watches the smaller man shift uncomfortably. Awkward body language aside, he doesn't look like he could do any damage but Jake is quite sure it's a stupid assumption to make.

The blonde one walks over, chuckling and says something that Jake can't hear into the dark haired man's ear. His hands curl into fists and he can feel his nails biting into the soft pads of his hands. Why is he getting so angry ( _jealous_ ) of the blonde being so close to the other man? With an effort, Jake lets his hands loosen and nearly backs away when the men turn to him at the same time and start walking towards him.

Uncharacteristic panic sets in as Jake realizes he's outnumbered. These men have a strange feeling surrounding them that he can't pinpoint and it's starting to make his wolf twitchy. Not defensive or angry, just twitchy; odd but not the time to wonder about it. Before he can think of running (or phasing into the wolf) the dark haired one is standing a few feet in front of him. He looks up and Jake is lost in green as he meets the enchanting eyes and actually _looks_.

He blinks stupidly a moment and feels a strange warmth shoot through his body (like a lightening strike, he dazedly thinks). His head, chest, palms and crotch tingle almost unpleasantly and the warmth becomes almost an unbearable heat. His lips pull into a large smile, and he beams a smile down at the dark haired man. 'Mine?' drifts through his thoughts before his eye lids flutter and he promptly passes out with a muttered "Wow".

.

Jake jerks awake and gasps aloud when he is looking into the same green eyes. They're warm, filled with humor and concern. He twitches, his hands flex, wanting to grab the dark haired man and he barely controls the urge. Grabbing strange men, however warm and tingly they might make him feel, seems to be a very bad idea. Not to mention rude.

He clears his throat quietly to cover his awkwardness and carefully looks around. He's on the ground and he's too embarrassed to ask how long he's been unconscious. He watches the blonde, squatting next to the dark haired man with his elbow casually perched on his shoulder, and Jake has to bite the inside his cheek (hard enough to bleed) to keep from yelling at him or slapping it off. What the actual _fuck_ is that about?

"Uh. Hi, I'm Jacob Black," he mumbles after a moment, the long period of silent starring finally getting to him. He's so tempted to ask if he's been struck by a freak lightening storm he has to bite his cheek again. The dark haired man smiles and Jake is lost again. Oh man. He stares avidly into his face as if he is seeing God. He shakes his head slightly; this is better than that. His gaze focuses on the dark haired man's lips when he sees them moving and he's embarrassed to wonder how they'd feel against his. He shakes his head again, realizing he isn't paying attention, barely hearing the words coming out of those lips.

He makes himself focus on the words when he realizes they could be important. "You can call me Jake, though," he adds, feeling lame and immediately wondering if he's interrupted the other man.

"I'm sorry if we scared you. I'm Harry," he says holding out his hand towards Jake. He nearly falls forward when it's immediately captured in Jake's larger tanned one and held with a careful, tight hold.

Jake doesn't want to let go of the hand in his, it's so warm (which is weird, most people's hands feel cool to him) and perfect in his. He wants to just hold it, bring it close to his face and examine each fine detail. He can feel light calluses on the slender fingers and he wonders where they came from. What does Harry do with his hands? He slowly, regretfully, lets go when he notices Harry's eyebrow twitch up in confusion, or maybe amusement.

"This is Draco." Harry waves a hand at the blonde squatting next to him. Draco, unsurprisingly, only nods politely towards Jake. "Er, can I ask a strange question?"

Jake can't help but nod immediately. He can answer any question Harry has. "Yes. Of course you can," he blurts in an eager rush. He wants to cringe at his eager tone, sounding like a damn puppy. He barely suppresses a moan when Harry's lips twitch into a small smirk. Harry shares a glance with Draco and Jake feels like an outsider, he fights an irrational urge to shove the blonde onto his ass. Or pull his hair. He's got a feeling that would offend the man more. He's confused when the blonde gives a terse nod; he had gotten the feeling Harry was the leader of sorts.

"What are you?" Harry blurts out. Jake can't help but be amused when the blonde groans, slaps a hand to his forehead and mutters "Smooth, Potter". Harry turns back to Jake and really, all is forgiven when Harry smiles at him. It's embarrassed and Jake thinks it's completely adorable. He successfully fights the urge to coo and crush the man against his chest. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. Look, you probably can't say, and I understand that, but we can feel something is..." Harry pauses, a hand twirls around distractedly, "different with you. You're not a Mug—" he breaks off when Draco's hand flies out and lands on his stomach with some force, knocking the breath from him. "Oomph! OK! Fine. You do it then!" he says and glares at Draco.

Jake wants to punch the blonde for touching Harry.

Draco smirks and his chin tilts up. Jake is strongly reminded of Rosalie and he suppresses a scowl. "What Harry is _trying_ to say—and failing miserably, might I add—is; does this look familiar?" he leans to the side slightly and pulls a short stick from his back pocket. It looks a lot like the one Harry had pointed at him earlier so Jake nods. Draco's silvery eyes light up and Jake has to wonder why it doesn't make his stomach swoop and... other things react. The blonde is gorgeous and Jake has the feeling the man knows it.

"So you _are_ a wizard then?" Draco asks, his voice betraying a hint of excitement. They hadn't expected to meet other wizards, but it's not a big deal. Their readings had been... inconclusive.

Jake frowns and peeks at Harry from the corner of his eyes. "Uh. No," he says slowly. He's not sure if it's rude to mention that wizards are only in comics and movies. He doesn't want to offend Harry (or the blonde) but he's also pretty sure he doesn't want to be around crazy people for long either. He never considers how odd it is that he turns into a massive wolf and that others find it just as unbelievable.

Harry makes a frustrated sound and Jake immediately turns to look at him, thrilled he can stare again. Harry's dark hair is a wild mess, moving with the wind a little. It looks soft and he feels his hands twitch (once again!) with the urge to bury his fingers in it. Maybe press his nose in there, inhaling deeply to get to Harry's scent under the beachy smell. Harry's face is young but old at the same time and Jake feels a strange sense of grief and the urge to protect flood him. He's barely restraining the urge to enfold Harry in his arms again, to comfort this time. Harry's eyes narrow at him, looking him over slowly. He feels heat spread through him and settle in all the wrong places.

Oh God, no.

Jake concentrates hard, trying to imagine the old lady at the deli wearing a leather bikini, willing his erection to stay away. Harry's cheeks are tinged the most amazing shade of pink when he focuses back on him and he wants to grab him and kiss him. The urge is strong enough he has to restrain his hands. He's starting to get very pissed off at his lack of control, these weird sudden urges, and it's not helping when Harry takes a step closer.

God, _no_. He groans quietly, thankfully it goes unheard by both men. Harry smells amazing...

"So, why do I get this... feeling from you?" Harry asks, his hand making an impatient twirling motion again. He's honestly confused. Nothing is making sense at the moment and he's feeling put-off. He looks the tall American over again, almost feeling like a pervert for eyeing him up. Jake is quite fit. It's odd he's wearing so little clothing on such a cool day, but Harry really isn't one to judge. Not when it leaves little to the imagination. He looks away, clearing his throat.

Jake doesn't know how to answer, so he only shrugs. Most people find him strange because of his size or the subtle feeling of power (if they subconsciously sense it—and most people can even if they don't know what it is). Only his pack and tribe members seem to be completely comfortable with him and the power of the wolf.

He notices Draco take his stick out again, twirling it in a strange manner while he mutters something. It's over and done before Jake can even react and he mentally curses himself for being so slow. If they were out to hurt him, he'd have been fucked. Twice. His body tingles for a moment and he glares at the blonde. What the hell did he just do? He can see a bluish misty cloud hovering around his body and he has to blink several times before it goes away. What the fuck? Before he can ask, Draco is looking away and talking to Harry.

"Harry," Draco says, his thumb rubbing along the handle of his wand in a thoughtful manner. "It's quite... odd. He's not a wizard, but this almost reads like an Animagus. Almost." He puts his wand away, slightly annoyed at the confusing results.

Jake is again thrilled when Harry looks at him. He wants to crow with delight when Harry steps closer, even if Harry's eyes are narrowed as he looks him over carefully, pausing imperceptibly at his crotch. He kind of wants to cover himself and has him stifling an insane urge to giggle. He's not shy but this is a different kind of 'looking' than what he's used to. It makes his insides squirm rather pleasantly. He has to fight the urge to preen, show off and see if Harry approves.

"What?" Harry murmurs, mostly to himself, and glares at the blonde when Draco snickers at him. "Wizards are Animagi. How can you be one and not the other?" he asks. He's looking at Jake but clearly speaking to Draco.

Jake doesn't mind. Harry's looking at him. Harry has his head tilted a little to the side and his lips are parted slightly. It's utterly charming. His hand starts to rise; he wants to run his thumb over that plump scarlet bottom lip so badly his body reacts without his consent. He catches it in time, though, and stuffs his hand in the back pocket of his cutoffs before the move is obvious. He shifts quickly and notices the two men move as well, both going tense as their hands dart to their pockets. Interesting.

Draco shrugs, eyes still slightly narrowed. He doesn't quite trust the massive stranger. "I have no idea," he says, somehow sounding irritated and unconcerned at the same time. He looks at Jacob for a long moment. The dark haired man (he's rather certain he's Native American) is massive, modestly muscled and seems to exude heat like a walking furnace.

His grey eyes flick up, hopefully in an inconspicuous manner, as he takes in how tall Jacob is; the man is almost 7 feet tall. At a respectable height of 6' 3", he's feeling almost dwarfed by the tall stranger; he can only imagine how Harry must feel. He nearly snickers. He glances over and does snicker softly at the curious (edging towards interested) look on Harry's face as he looks up at Jacob. He's not blind to the way Jacob is staring at Harry. He can understand, really; Harry is bloody gorgeous. So is Jacob, in an exotic way. He's confused a moment that he doesn't feel even the smallest stab of jealousy, towards either of them.

"Jacob, what's around here?" Draco asks, looking around.

Jake shakes himself visibly and looks at Draco. His dark brown eyes sharpen as he blinks away the slightly dazed feeling and he waves a hand vaguely around. "Forks," he says with a shrug. "This is La Push. My reservation is just a short ways from here. Other than that, nothing really." He shrugs again and looks back at Harry, dismissing Draco in favor of staring at Harry's hands. He can tell those hands can do a lot, have done a lot and hopefully will do a lot more. He wills away a blush at the inappropriate direction his thoughts go.

Draco smirks and shakes his head. He hasn't a clue what the man means by 'reservation' but he understands the 'nothing' part. It looks like a sleepy, small, boring town. Harry will love it.

"No," Harry says distractedly, staring intently at Jacob's face. "He means are there more people with wands or—" He waves a hand at Jake," like you."

Jake shakes his head, a furrow between his eyebrows for a moment before his face lights up. "No, but my pack is around." He rolls his lips over his teeth, wishing he could take the words back. He manages not to grimace and silently releases a relieved sigh when neither man does anything but look intrigued.

"Pack?" Draco frowns. "Like... wolves?"

Jake starts and looks at Draco with a strange smile. "I'm, uh, actually late," he says evasively. He's already said too much. Sam is going to skin him for being late, he can't imagine the reaction from Sam if he finds out he blurted out information about the pack.

Harry and Draco share a look before both turn back to Jake. "OK, well then, we'll let you get on with it." Harry says, waving a hand as if to banish him.

Jake starts when he thinks Harry could do just that. He nods but doesn't move. He wants to take Harry with him but there's no way he would ask a perfect stranger to go with him. The pack would be furious. Maybe. He has a strong feeling this strange dark haired man is his imprint; he's heard enough from some of the other guys to recognize the strange feelings now. He can't help it, he makes a soft whining noise deep in his throat and Harry stares up at him.

He has finally found his imprint and it's a guy. Fuck. Sam is definitely going to skin him.

"What's wrong, Jake?" Harry asks softy, stepping closer and Jake has to bite down on a moan. Oh man, Harry saying his name like just made his whole body flair sharply with warmth and want. This is so unfair. He wishes he had more time... "Are you alright?"

Jake nods and then shakes his head sharply. The confused motion makes the blonde laugh, though thankfully not cruelly. Harry's expression is bemused and Jake is truly lost. How can he possibly explain? He can't, not right now. He wants to whine again. "I'm OK," he finally manages. "I gotta go. Will... Are you— Can I..." he trails off once again and runs his hands through his shaggy hair in annoyed frustration. "Where are you guys staying?" Harry doesn't even look to the blonde and Jake feels smug for some reason.

"Some bed and breakfast in Forks," Harry says, not even concerned with the sharp glance he gets from Draco. He has no problems seeing Jake again, even if it's only because they can use a local guide. That sounds reasonable enough... "I'm pretty sure it's the only one in town. Why?" he asks, again cocking his head a bit to the side.

Jake nearly whimpers. "Just asking," he mutters. "I'd like to... well, it would be nice to bump into you again. Both of you," he adds hastily but he hears the blonde snort and mutter a sarcastic 'sure'. He fights another blush and forces himself to look at Harry calmly. "Well, I gotta go. I'm already late enough to be in deep shit. So. Yeah," he says, already backing away towards the tress. "I hope to see you again." With that he turns and runs into the trees, stripping quickly and phasing immediately after he's clear of the beach.

Harry and Draco share a confused look and shrug. America is already turning out to be quite the interesting place.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry looks around the small room. Cozy. Draco is trying not to sneer at the furnishings and Harry is biting his cheek to hold in his laughter.

"Well," Harry says cheerfully as he sets his pack on a small armchair. "It's...cozy." He grins when Draco snorts. He walks over to the window and feels an odd sense of relief and happiness when he notes the small Bed and Breakfast is nestled right up to the forest, the tree line barely 30 meters from the back of the building.

Draco wanders around the room. There is a tiny kitchenette, a small sitting area and a bed. One bed. Draco stares at it, his expression blank. "Well shit," he breathes. "I didn't think..." he trails off and gazes at Harry. He scowls when he notices the bastard is grinning. "What's so funny, Potter?" he fumes as he crosses his arms angrily. He then aims his glare at the single bed. It's big enough for two, but just barely. It'll be... cozy.

Harry snickers softly and shakes his head. "Relax, Malfoy. Look, you're fit, I can't deny it, but well, you're just not my type." Harry fights the blush that tries to creep on his face. He doesn't want Draco to think it's got anything to do with him. It's not his fault Jake popped into his mind. "I assure you, I've shared a bed without molesting anyone before. Your virtue is safe," he says, mocking a bow.

"True," Draco huffs with amusement, then looks at Harry closely. "Mister I-Don't-Have-To-Wear-Much-Clothing Black would appear to take _that_ category. Not that I can blame you; he's bloody gorgeous." Harry nods with a far off look on his face that has Draco letting out an amused snort just as he flops onto the bed.

He rolls back and forth and then spreads his limbs out as far as they can go. "Alright, Potter. I guess there is room for you," he says while pointedly looking at the mere 6 inches or so of left-over space and smirks. Its not like they haven't shared a bed before and the worst that happened is they woke up snuggled into each other like a pair of kittens. It was one of the best nights of sleep Draco had in years but he is never going to tell Harry that.

Harry rolls his eyes. "Wonderful," he says dryly, glaring at Draco.

"It really is," Draco says, smirking. Trying to get the focus away from the bed, he points to a flat black box sitting on a small table. "What's that thing, Harry?"

Harry turns and then grins. "That, Draco, is a television set. It looks pretty new, too." He's already next to the telly, sliding a hand along the back of it. He's never seen one like it before but he's still able to tell what it is. "Flat screen," he mutters and looks around. "Do you see the remote?"

"The what?" Draco asks, looking around as well even though he's no idea what to look for.

"Remote," Harry repeats. "Never mind. You wouldn't even know it even if you did see it," he murmurs, mostly to himself, as he looks around the room. "Aha!" he cries, looking at the table next to the bed. "Here it is." He walks over and picks up a long piece of plastic with small colorful circles on it before Draco can get a good look at it.

Draco watches as Harry looks the long rectangular thing over and presses his thumb against it. The box glows and pictures appear. He looks at the contraption, a small delighted smile growing on his face. "Oh, so it's like a picture. Ooh! With sound!" he exclaims happily when he can hear what's going on along with the pictures moving.

"Sure," Harry says, amused and nods. "Something like that. Muggles make television shows. They make up stories and film them. So, what you're seeing isn't actually happening. Well, it is, but it's made up. Acting, like in a play."

"Why?" Draco asks without moving his eyes away from the television.

Harry huffs softly. "For entertainment, of course. Oh, look. There's a DVD player too," he says excitedly, noting the slim device under the telly. "We'll have to get some movies and I'll introduce you to the wonderful world of Muggle films."

"Alright," Draco says slowly, not quite understanding. He nods towards the TV box. "What is this we're watching?" he asks, looking at a group of people sitting on a sofa. They're eating (on a sofa!) and talking about the blonde woman like she's a child or just really stupid. Draco can't help but jump when he hears unseen people laughing from inside the box. So strange.

Harry shrugs and tosses the remote onto the bed. "No idea. I never really watched a lot of telly... and I certainly haven't seen any recently. Plus, this is American," he says, shrugging again. "I'm sure it's going to be funny and probably crude," he adds and laughs when Draco's eyes widen as he stares incredulously at a commercial for a popular Muggle soda. A woman is wearing very little clothing and dancing erotically against a microphone stand. "Ahh, welcome to the world of telly, Draco."

The blonde only nods distractedly and makes a very un-Malfoy-esque grunting noise as his response. A soft 'wow' escapes his mouth when another commercial plays; this one showing several half-naked, shiny men playing volleyball on a beach. He slides off of the sofa and sits on the small table in front of it, getting closer to the flat box. He reaches out a finger and touches the flat front, blinking when nothing happens.

Harry turns away, set on taking a shower. Apparating, cross country no less, is tiring and he's ready for a nap. "Draco," he shouts from the bathroom, "I'm taking a shower and then a nap." He just barely hears the distracted grunting noise again and can only guess that Draco heard him.

He fiddles with the knobs and after hearing the pipes clang through the wall for a moment he finally gets some hot water. With a shake of his head he sets out various types of soaps (which have grown in suspicious numbers since he's been friends with Draco) and quickly takes his shower, adamantly refusing to let his thoughts wander to Jake while he's in there. He has little desire for a wank with Draco in the next room and no doubt listening for it.

Draco looks around after he hears the shower turn on and lays back on the bed. He's amazed he's in America. With Harry. In a Muggle bed and breakfast. They hadn't made any further plans yet. The town looks small; annoyingly small since this is the best accommodations they could get. He'll have to talk Harry into renting or buying a flat or a house if it seems like they'll be here for awhile. He bounces on the bed slightly, quite enjoying the nearly pornographic commercials the telly plays between shows. He really can get used to telly.

Looking around again, Draco's gaze settles on a Muggle newspaper. He picks it up, bemused that the pictures don't move and looks through it. There aren't many jobs that need filling and he's not personally looking forward to working. He didn't need to ( _ever_ ) but he knows Harry would scoff and make fun of him if he refused to work. As he looks through the paper, he can tell that he'll need a job just so he doesn't die from boredom. There isn't much to do, judging by the social columns. The only thing that looks interesting is something called a cinema.

There are only a handful of restaurants and most boast 'home cooking' in their menu or title. He makes a face, not finding it appealing as he recalls what would be called home cooking in his experience. The rare occasions his mother cooked, at Harry's amused encouragement, with no aid of house elves were cringe worthy at best. Of course, Harry can actually cook quite well so he figures it can't all be bad.

He doesn't get much farther when Harry comes out of the bathroom. Harry is still dripping a bit and wearing only a towel loosely wrapped around his hips. Draco purses his lips and idly wonders why he's not really effected by the sight, not that it keeps him from eyeing the man up and down. Harry doesn't spare him a glance and he assumes it's because the git can't see without his glasses.

Harry finds his bag and disappears back into the bathroom, emerging minutes later fully clothed and rubbing the towel through his hair. "Draco," he mutters with a yawn. "I'm knackered." He flops onto the love seat and nearly cracks his jaw with a yawn. "I'm taking a nap," he mumbles, rolling over. Soft snores are heard within a minute.

Draco can only shake his head with a small smile, he's still amazed that Harry can sleep practically anywhere. He mentioned it once and Harry proceeded to tell him about the many times he's had to sleep in awkward places (a cupboard, tents, small chairs, alcoves). Harry had learned quickly to adapt or go without sleep. He looks around the room again and sees what Harry has called a telephone. He makes a mental note to ask Harry how to use the damn thing. It's a strange looking contraption and he can't quite understand how it replaces a floo. You don't see a person, just hear them. He scoffs and wonders idly how people get where they need to be without a floo. Ridiculous really.

Eventually, the telly reclaims Draco's attention and he's watching it when he hears Harry snuffling and muttering in his sleep. He casts a quick _Tempus_ and realizes it's nearly 8 PM. Harry twitches and whines softly, making Draco unsure if he should wake him or not. He's headed over before he's even aware he's made the decision. "Harry," he says quietly, gently nudging the other man's shoulder. "Wake up."

Harry whimpers louder, his hands clenching and unclenching and he shakes his head to the side, muttering.

A soft 'no' is all Draco can make out before he shakes Harry harder. He doesn't want to startle the man but he knows from experience that Harry won't be getting any restful sleep after this point.

Harry jerks awake, his hands fist in Draco's hoodie just before he launches himself at Draco, his arms tight and he's squeezing tight. He's mostly awake now, aware of where he is and who's holding him, unable to stop muttering unintelligibly over and over again. "I'm safe," he whispers a few times, trying not to burrow into Draco's neck.

Draco pauses only for a moment before his hand is rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back. "It's alright. Yes, you're safe. Wake up, Harry," he says softly. He's had to do this only a few times and he's getting more and more comfortable with it, even though he wishes he didn't have to. He hates that Harry still suffers from nightmares, even if they aren't as frequent.

Harry shifts and laughs softly, the sound embarrassed and bit choked. "Sorry, Draco," he murmurs and leans back, running a hand over his face. "It's been awhile since I've had one that bad. Thanks," he adds awkwardly. It's still rather embarrassing to find himself clinging to Draco but he's always glad for the comfort, grateful Draco doesn't push him away.

"It's fine, Harry," Draco says with a small smile and shifts a bit so he can reach the newspaper, placing it on Harry's lap. "Anyway, I've been looking through this thing. I think we need to find some jobs." At Harry's incredulous stare, Draco scoffs and elaborates. "If we're going to be here for any length of time, I assumed you wanted to get a job. Blend in. Not kill ourselves from boredom," he adds with a laugh when Harry begins to nod enthusiastically.

He stands and stretches. "Well, I'm starved. Let's find some food, yeah?" He gathers the paper off of Harry's lap and helps him off the sofa.

Harry stretches, a bit amazed he was able to fit himself on the small sofa and hunts for his shoes. They head out and wander down to the street. They look in both directions they both mutter "Beth's it is" since it appears to be the only place they can see that looks open. They make their way over, chatting idly. Draco can't seem to get over the idea of telephones you can carry with you. Harry promises they'll pick up their own mobiles tomorrow and Draco grins excitedly. He's becoming more and more enamored of Muggle technology...

~oOo~

"I don't understand," Jake says slowly with a frown. He's just finished talking with Sam; telling him every embarrassing thing that's happened in the last month. _Every_ thing. His face is still hot with embarrassment.

Sam looks away for a moment before pinning Jake with an unreadable expression. "Jacob, I'm sorry. Really I am. But I have to do this. For the good of the pack."

"What?" Sam does look a bit sorry, Jake muses as anger and disappointment flair hotly through him. He really didn't think Sam would take the news like this. "Kicking me out is for the good of the pack?" he demands hotly. He can't help the swell of vicious pleasure that shoots through him when Sam flinches and backs away a step.

"Yes," Sam says simply.

Jake is flabbergasted. "But... don't you have to consult with the elders for something like this?"

"No," Sam shakes his head looking sad but his eyes are sharp and fierce. "I'm the Alpha. _I_ make the decisions. I ask for their advice on occasion, but ultimately they have to follow with my decisions."

Jake's whole body slumps in defeat. He knows Sam is right and he hates him for it. This isn't the first time Jake wishes he had taken the role of Alpha and he wants to punch the smug looking bastard. But it's too damn late and he's got no one to blame but himself.

Sam, obviously, is well aware of the thoughts going through Jake's mind as he steps back another step and eyes Jake warily. "I can understand why you're upset, Jacob. But—" he shrugs one shoulder and looks away for a moment. "I don't want to do this but I have to consider the whole pack."

Jake covers the ground between them quickly and he jabs a finger in Sam's chest angrily. " _Upset_? Fuck that, Sam. I don't think being different or who my imprint is is a good enough reason to kick me out of the pack. My family," he says, barely controlling his anger.

He clenches his hands into fists when his voice wants to break. He will not give Sam that satisfaction. "I never saw any fine print with what's accepted and what's not."

"Yes, it is." Sam says, ignoring the last sentence. "You can't add to our pack, Jacob. You're going to make everyone... uncomfortable."

Jake barks a bitter laugh. He can't help it. " _Uncomfortable_?" he nearly yells, throwing his hands up. "That's probably the most insane load of bullshit I've ever heard. Uncomfortable is seeing the mental images you fuckers have of your imprints. All the time." He scoffs at Sam's affronted look. "Yeah, I guess considering my _preferences_ ," he makes angry air quotes around the word, "it's not something I want to see."

Jake shakes his head, his anger draining. "Uncomfortable is your fucked up love triangle we've all had to put up with. Uncomfortable is knowing my pack, my _family_ , can only love me and accept me if I follow their conditions." His breath hitches and he wills himself not to punch Sam. Or Cry, he realizes his eyes are prickling. Or both; at the same time.

Sam looks away and without looking at Jake he speaks in the deep voice of the Alpha and it sounds so _final_ Jake wants to cry again. He can actually feel the tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. "Jacob Black, I release you from the pack."

Jake is horrified when he feels a strange, rather unpleasant tingling followed by a horrible tearing sensation near the back of his head and in his chest. A crushing sense of aloneness settles over him, making his knees buckle and he drops ungracefully to his knees.

He doesn't look up when he hears a quiet 'Sorry' from Sam. Jake wants to believe he means it but he can't find the sincerity. He isn't sure how long he's kneeling on the forest floor when he hears the footsteps of the rest of the pack approaching.

He looks up through his dark shaggy bangs and can make out about a dozen shocked faces. Seth is the first to rush to his side. A moment later Joe sidles up and stays slightly behind Seth, and Jake wants to cry again. Oh God, when did he become such a _girl_?

Seth drops to his knees next to Jake and places a hand on his shoulder. "Jake! Are you okay, man?" He glares up at Sam when he feels Jake trembling under his hand. He _knows_ Sam has done something bad, but he can't demand an answer from his Alpha. There ain't any rules that states he can't glare and give Sam a death look, though.

Jake shakes his head and can only jerk his head towards Sam. He's not sure he can tell them what's happened. Sam is the one who should anyway.

Sam clears his throat and looks around, making sure everyone is there so he doesn't have to repeat anything. "Jacob has been removed from the pack."

Shocked gasps can be heard but Jake can only look at the ground, unwilling and unable to say anything. He's absently counting pine needles, hoping it'll distract him from the pain and embarrassment. He hears a soft chorus of 'Why?'s and wants to cringe when he feels Sam's hard gaze on him.

"Jacob can no longer help the pack. I've made my decision. That's all you need to know," Sam says shortly before he turns and walks away. Several of the guys follow him. Some shoot Jake a questioning glance, others just walk past without even looking at him as they pass.

Jake watches them all leave and is unsurprised when he's only left with Seth and Joe.

Seth drops to his knees, looking intently at Jake. "Jake, man, what the fuck?" he cries, his hands flailing around above his head. "What did you do to make Sam kick you out?" he asks, looking at Jake questioningly. He can't wrap his head around it. He's never heard of someone getting kicked out of a wolf pack. He didn't even think it _could_ happen.

Jake swallows hard and looks from Joe to Seth and he's not sure what to say. Seth is like his little brother and he doesn't think he could take his rejection. Joe, well Joe isn't like a brother. He has a feeling that if he hadn't met Harry he'd probably have been looking towards Joe, especially since they've gotten closer over the summer when it turned out Joe had enough Quileute blood in him to become the wolf.

Joe was scared and freaking out when Jake had visited him the day he first phased.

Sam hadn't wanted Joe in the pack and ignored his change leaving him to go at it alone. Jake had only found Joe by accident since he'd been patrolling near Joe's house and heard him thrashing and crying out. He'd had to practically force Sam to accept Joe since he was clearly a member of their pack. 'Half-breed' (Jake hated the word but it wasn't all together incorrect since Joe's mom was a white woman his dad met off the Reservation) or not, Joe _belonged_.

Of course, Sam always made them patrol together and he got the impression that Sam was trying to use it as punishment. Asshole.

Jake's mouth opens and closes a few times, lost for words. He finally shuts it and closes his eyes. Maybe it would be easier if he didn't look at them. "Sam kicked me out because... I'm gay and I imprinted on a dude," he says in a quiet rush. He flinches a bit and awaits the sounds of footsteps leaving or a punch or _something_. After long moments of silence, he cautiously cracks an eye open to see Seth gaping at him and Joe simply smiling.

"What?" Seth squeaks. "That's—! How could—! Jake!" he sputters and flails his arms around again. "Sam is a fucker!" he finally yells, his hands curling into fists and twitching like they're looking for a target. "Why the fuck does that mean he needs to kick you out of the pack?"

Jake can only gape like an idiot. Seth is mad _for_ him; not _at_ him. He doesn't even think as he swiftly stands and nearly crushes Seth in a hug, overwhelming relief courses through him when Seth laughs and claps a hand on his back. "Thanks," he mumbles before he lets go and shakes his head.

"Sam said it was because I can't add to the pack. Oh, and I'd make you guys uncomfortable," he says with an apologetic grimace. He really can understand that. Most of the guys are quite close-minded and make nasty comments about gay guys. He wants to cringe when he thinks of the times even he has said something, even if it was only to fit in.

"Fuck that," Seth paces and rages in a small circle and Jake wants to hug him again. For the smallest (and youngest) pack member, Seth is one of the fiercest at times. "That's..." he trails off and cocks his head, stopping his pacing. "Wait. How did he kick you out? What did he say?"

Jake rubs the back of his neck, thinking. "Uh, he said 'Jacob Black, I release you from the pack'," he says slowly, as he remembers the wording. He starts at the fierce ( _wolfish_ , he thinks a bit hysterically) grin that blooms on Seth's face and looks to Joe, thankful he looks as lost as he feels. "What?"

"Fuckin' A," Seth just laughs and rubs his hands together with mischievous glee, his brown eyes alight with something Jake quite can't name. "Well, Jake. Since we all know you should have been the Alpha, this means you can start your own little wolf pack," he says, sounding a bit smug and excited.

Seth's smile drops from his face and he gives Jake a hard look, suddenly serious. "You do want to do that, right Jake?" he asks quietly, his dark eyes look Jake up and down, assessing and inquiring. "I don't think you're the lone wolf type, man."

Jake nods, unsure why Seth is looking so serious. "Uh, sure sure." He doesn't know if he can start his own pack but he knows he misses the feeling already, a hand unconsciously rubbing over the hollow feeling in his chest. He really isn't the lone wolf type but he's wary of believing Seth's idea can work.

"'Uh, sure sure' doesn't sound like you mean it, Jake. You have to _mean_ it," Seth says adamantly and then looks over at Joe. "Joe, would you rather be in Jake's pack, too?"

Joe snorts a laugh, nodding. "Of course. Most of the other guys think like Sam. Call me half-breed and shit. Fuck them. Jake is twice the Alpha Sam could ever hope to be." He gives Jake a warm smile and nods once, encouragingly.

He's not quiet sure if he should mention he's completely OK with Jake being gay because he's the same... Seth might be alright with Jake, but he's not sure how the younger werewolf would react about him. He's still a new member and still getting to know him.

"I'd be honored to follow Jake," Joe adds sincerely.

"Great!" Seth claps his hands together. "Me too," he gives Joe a grin before his face turns thoughtful, "I don't think any of the other guys will... but Leah might join, too. I'll ask her. I'm gonna wolf out, you guys have to, too. Jake, once we all phase you need to find that—" He pauses a second, a hand twirling, "Alpha feeling and embrace it. Once you do, howl and we'll find your connection and be your pack."

Jake blinks at Seth. "What the... how the hell am I supposed to know how to do that?!"

"No idea," Seth shrugs but he's grinning. "I'm pretty sure it's all that wolf instinct shit," he waves a hand dismissively. "We'll know," he says sounding confident. "So. You know. Just do it," he says, pointing a finger towards Jake imperiously. He nods once and before Jake can respond or argue any more, Seth has phased into his sandy colored wolf.

It doesn't take long at all and Jake is pleasantly surprised to find Seth had been right. The moment he phased, he felt an odd but powerful sensation in the back of his mind and he reached out for it. Warmth, an overwhelming sense of power and _rightness_ settled over him, settling his mind and body. Joe and Seth both grinned, which always looks odd on a wolf's face, after he howled and he quickly felt them reaching out for him.

As soon as he embraced them he heard them in his mind, just like he did with the pack before. He feels both of them send a flood of happy warmth; contentment and a feeling of pack.

Joe's amused voice flits through the connection. _How did that little fucker know how this worked?_

 _Hey! Shut up, Joe. I pay attention when the elder's speak, man._ Seth's cocky voice answers in their minds. _Also, I'm a genius._

Jake makes a snorting sound, which sounds more like he's coughing up a hairball and shakes his head. _Yes, Seth. You're amazing,_ he says sarcastically and rolls his eyes, but both of the other wolves can feel Jake's pride in Seth. _I'm starving, let's get something to eat._ He doesn't wait for a response as he takes off, still as a wolf, through the forest heading towards the only restaurant he knows will be open.

He's not ready to go home yet. He hasn't had the nerve to tell his dad about anything yet. He mentally cringes and hopes his dad doesn't share Sam's opinion.

As the trio finally get to the edge of the forest Jake curses and phases. "I forgot... I don't have any clothes." He looks down at himself. He's not embarrassed to be naked in front of Seth and Joe, but he can't wander around town nude.

He looks to Joe and a surprised laugh bubbles up when he's handed a nearly identical outfit to the one he destroyed earlier. As he settles the black shirt around his shorts he looks at his bare feet. "Do you think anyone will notice?" he asks, wiggling his toes a bit.

Joe shakes his head and pulls a pair of cheap flip flops from one of his many pockets in the cargo pants he's currently wearing. He was the only one that thought ahead and stripped fully before they phased earlier. He rarely forgets, unable to replace his clothing as easily as the other guys in the pack.

"Thanks!" Jake can only laugh again with amazement. He gets a brief flash of Harry, the wizard, and blushes before shoving the flip flops on and practically running towards Beth's, hoping neither of the guys saw him blushing. They make their way there, each lost in their own thoughts.

He stops in front of the open door and spares Joe another glace, "Uh, I feel like a dick, but can you spot me? I have no idea where I dropped my wallet." Actually, he's pretty sure he can easily find it but he really doesn't want to wait. Or go back home anytime soon.

"No problem. You can get me back later," Joe says with a grin, clapping Jake on the shoulder.

Jake smiles his thanks and they make their way inside.

Seth, not quite paying attention, walks right into Jake who's stopped dead in the middle of the isle to stare at a back booth. He follows Jake's line of sight and sees two strange guys sitting there. One has really light blonde hair in a carefully stylish haircut and the other has shorter, messy black hair.

Jake looks stunned but a sappy smile is plastered to his face and Seth quickly figures some things out; they weren't in phase long but it was long enough for him to get a flash of the dark haired guy's face and he felt the accompanying burst of happy warmth.

Seth snickers to himself. Jake's imprint is sitting right there?

He steps around the frozen Jake (and a puzzled Joe) and makes his way to the two guys in the booth. He barely gets two more steps when the black haired one glances up sharply, his hand twitching to his pocket. Seth barely has a chance to register the hard look in the bright green eyes before it's gone, replaced with a small but goofy smile on the guy's face as his eyes settle somewhere over his shoulder and he doesn't even look back to know he's seen Jake.

"Hi," Seth gushes, sitting himself down in the booth and sliding over. He grins when both men just blink at him, apparently completely surprised by his boldness. The blonde one looks shocked and then a bit disgruntled. He grins and holds out a hand. "I'm Seth Clearwater, Jake's friend," he says cheerfully.

He turns and sees that Jake is still frozen but Joe has finally moved around him and is nearing the table. "That's Joe Riverstone. I'm sure you guys already know Jake." He can't help but laugh at their shocked faces. "Sorry, not many secrets around here," he says and shrugs carelessly. The dark haired man finally moves, firmly grasping his hand and giving it a polite shake. He grins and sticks his hand in front of the blonde but he only stares at it for long moment before he does the same.

Seth looks between the two men, wagging a finger between them. "Jake didn't mention your names, though. Or maybe he just doesn't know them," he sends a sly look behind him at Jake and is satisfied to see his Alpha moving again. Joe brushes past and pulls him out, sliding in behind him to take the window seat. He hurriedly sits back down just before Jake slides in the booth next to him, across from the dark haired one.

"I do, you little shit," Jake says with a glare at Seth. He feels his cheeks warm. "This is Harry," he points to the dark haired one, smiling a bit when Harry lifts a hand in a short salute. "And he's Draco," he says, indicating the blonde who just lifts his chin and gives a haughty little sniff. Seth smothers a laugh and leans over to whisper 'Rosalie' to him, laughing louder when he nods and mutters "I know, right?"

Silence descends on the table and Seth amuses himself by looking around at everyone. Jake and Harry appear to be trying to stare at each other without making it obvious they're staring. Joe is flat out staring at Draco and guy is trying to look bored as he reads a menu.

As he sits and takes in the table, Seth frowns slightly at the weird vibe he's getting from the other men. He wants to ask Jake about it; after all he's spent more time with these guys, but Harry coughs and breaks the silence first.

"I'm sure you have been here before, what's good?" Harry asks and makes a show of looking at all three of large men across from him but his eyes are drawn back to Jake.

Seth gapes at Harry. "Oh wow! You're British! Wicked!" He's surprised when the blonde (Draco, he reminds himself) laughs quietly and inclines his head in a short nod.

"Yes, we are. And you are delightfully American," Draco drawls, amused despite himself but he manages to sound almost bored.

Seth notices the blonde's neck is a little pink and wonders about it. He sneaks a glance at Joe and has to bite the inside of his cheek so he doesn't laugh at the dopey look on Joe's face as he stares at Draco. A glance back at the blonde and he's nearly giggling at the way the other man is trying to ignore Joe's blatant staring. Seriously? Joe too? He nearly breaks into giggles.

He doesn't know if he's being insulted or not but he grins anyway. "Yeah, I totally am. But anyway, everything is good here. So, you know, get whatever. Just point at something when Beth asks and you'll love it."

Harry laughs at his enthusiasm and Seth feels Jake twitch next to him. Oh man, Harry is totally his imprint; he's been around enough of the guys and their imprints to know the signs. He feels happy for Jake, even if it got him kicked out of their old pack.

Seth grins and nudges Jake with his elbow. "Right, Jake?" Jake only nods and continues his staring of Harry. "You guys been here long?" Seth looks around, hoping Beth comes out soon. This is getting a little awkward and he's starving.

Draco gives Seth a careful look before he elegantly shrugs one shoulder. "No. We got here earlier today."

Seth laughs. "No, I meant here," he says and points a finger on the table. "The diner. Beth doesn't usually let people hang long," he says and looks around again and frowns. "I'm starving. Where is she?" He completely ignores Jake's muttered 'You're always hungry' comment. It isn't like he's the only one with a nearly bottomless stomach and hearty appetite.

Harry looks around too. "No, we only just sat down right before you gents came in." He was surprised at the 'seat yourself' sign and found himself oddly delighted in the freedom.

"Gents," Seth repeats with a chuckle. "You guys are so cool," he says, giving both men a big grin. He looks towards the back and cups a hand around his mouth, "Beth!" he calls loudly.

For a tense moment, Harry is sure there will be no response. He's had an unsettled feeling for the past few hours and he can't shake it. Just as he's about to finger his wand he hears a female voice shout from the back "Hold your water!" Seth is laughing again and he relaxes, nearly rolling his eyes at his own paranoid thoughts.

Draco, ever the observant one, glances out the corner of his eye at him, obviously curious as to why he's is nearly fondling his wand. He gives his head a short shake, thankful the blonde lets the issue drop. His unease has been steadily declining since they sat down but he doesn't want to relax quite yet. Old habits...

Beth comes out and they all order, Harry and Draco taking Seth's advice and just pointing to random dishes. Soon the table is covered in plates and glasses and all five of them are eating like it's been ages since their last meal.

Draco, in a shocking discovery, has polished off several glasses of soda—even drinking Harry's right from his glass. Harry laughed long and hard when Draco took his first sip of the soda and his whole face lit up with shocked pleasure.

Joe was the first to notice, having been watching the blonde nearly constantly and he smiled as he asked "First time having it?". Harry was a bit shocked when Draco blushed and nodded his head. He made a mental note to pick up some at the market so they can have some in their room.

Jake breaks the silence next. "Hey, can you guys show Seth and Joe your stick thingies?" He's been itching to mention it and trying to figure out a way to ask, subtly. Apparently, he sucks at subtle.

Seth breaks out into wild laughter, actually slapping the table in his mirth. "No, thanks, man. I don't want to see your 'stick thingies'," he says, wiping a tear from his eye. "Joe probably will love to see your 'stick thingies' though," he says and gives Joe a leering grin. He breaks out laughing again when Joe chokes on his chocolate milk and glares at him. Joe doesn't say no though, he notices with a chuckle.

"No, you perv!" Jake says after a moment of staring blankly at Seth and finally working out what he meant. His face heats and he shakes his head, "I mean, they've got these sticks that _do_ things." He didn't see them do much with them, but they _felt_ like they could and both men had handled them like treasured items.

He looks to Harry and notices the wizard is giving him a strange look. "What?"

Harry shakes his head and looks at Draco and Jake is not surprised when he feels left out again as the two men seem to communicate without needing words. "Well, erm. I don't think we should. We're not supposed to whip them out and wave them about," he says quietly, trying to forget they both had taken their wands out (Draco actually _using_ his) in front of Jake already.

He smiles and Jake wants to sigh like a love-sick teenaged girl.

"But," Jake recovers with a brisk shake of his head. "You showed me," he points out, even though he's pretty sure it had been an accident. "You can show them. They're my brothers. My pack," he says the last part quietly and barely notices when Seth starts next to him. He ignores Seth's hissed 'you told them about the pack?' in favor of giving Harry his best hopeful expression. He can clearly see it working when Harry's face softens and his green eyes go warm.

Draco moves first, the tip if his wand can barely be seen over the ledge of the table as he mutters a word and everything around them goes quiet and sort of fuzzy. He smirks, sitting back and putting his wand away again. Harry then leans to the side slightly and pulls his wand from his pocket.

Seth notices and watches with interest as the piece of wood is revealed. It's smooth, though, not all knobbly like he would expect it to be. It flares at the bottom and it looks like there's a handle carved into it.

Without thinking, Jake reaches out and lightly touches a finger to Harry's wand and he jumps with surprise when a small shower of blue sparks erupt from the end, landing harmlessly on the table.

Harry looks up, just as shocked.

Draco watches the exchange with slightly pursed lips and a raises eyebrow. He fights the urge to take his back out and wondering if the tall man in front of him would cause a similar reaction. He does take his wand out again, but keeps it close.

"Wow," Seth breathes out. He looks at the sticks, his eyes darting from the sticks to the men holding them. He can feel a buzzing power coming from them. He squirms; the buzzing is not all together pleasant but thankfully doesn't last long.

"Yes, well, now you've seen our wands, not _stick thingies_. We're wizards," Draco says sounding bored.

"Now, no one can hear us or really see us," Harry waves a hand, indicating the fuzzy wall around them. "So, please. Will you share what you are now?" he asks, leaning forward a bit as he stares intently at Jake.

Jake nods dumbly, completely lost in the bright green eyes and he starts speaking without even meaning to. "We're werewolves. We can change into wolves at will," he blurts out. He makes a quiet, breathless 'oooph' noise when Seth elbows him again, harder this time. "What?" he turns to look at Seth with equal parts annoyance and confusion. "They showed us their wands and did _magic_. I'm pretty sure they can't go around telling everyone about it," he says to rationalize his blurted admission. He glances at Harry and can't decipher the look on his face. "What?" he repeats.

"You can't be werewolves if you can change at will," Harry says slowly, not quite sure of himself. "Werewolves change on the full moon." Harry shares another look with Draco. "Unless... well, maybe American werewolves are different?" he asks, looking at Jake now; the question sounds hopeful.

Jake shrugs, feeling torn. He really wants to be able to answer Harry's question but he doesn't know the answer. "I really don't know," he says. "I can ask the elders, I guess. It's something in our blood, for generations."

Harry is staring again, a furrow between his brows. "In your blood? You weren't bitten?"

"What? No. We don't go around biting people," Jake says a bit shortly and gives Harry a look that says 'duh'. He points a finger at him. "You have some fucked up information on werewolves, man," he says quickly and then blushes when he realizes how he sounds. "Sorry," he murmurs. "I mean, I think you've gotten some bad information. It's not like in the movies or comic books, you know."

Harry laughs and shakes his head. "No, just different." He makes a mental note to contact Remus.

Draco looks lost. Harry leans over and Jake can hear him explaining what movies and comic books are and he finds himself wondering what cave Draco has been living in. Who didn't know about movies and comic books? As Harry sits back up Draco snorts and he can't help but grin. It's an odd noise to hear from the blonde. He hears a sigh and looks over to see Joe staring at the blonde, his eyes a bit dazed.

"I'm guessing there's more, but I'm also getting the feeling I'd rather ask you alone," Harry says quietly, looking at Jake, a small smile on his face. He's finally noticed the uneasy feeling has all but vanished in the time spent with the werewolves and he's puzzled if (or how) it's connected to Jake. A knowing, embarrassed smile on Jake's face is answer enough, so he nods.

Draco snorts again and lifts his chin, "Well, this has been educational. I'm sure we'll see each other a bit as we're probably staying for awhile. What's there to do around here?" he asks, waving a hand around, indicating the town.

"Nothing, really," Seth says, sounding oddly thrilled with the answer. "Most of us head to Port Angeles when we want to do something. It's a short drive but there's lots to do there. And there's the beach. And... well, I guess that's about it. We're mostly busy patrolling. Jake," he jerks a thumb towards Jake, "mostly works in his dad's garage or spends his free time trying to get his bucket of bolts running."

Draco sneers and shifts to the side to bring a newspaper up from the seat. "I meant jobs," he says with a slight sneer on his face. He cocks an eyebrow when Joe chuckles, slightly annoyed the man found him amusing or (Merlin forbid) adorable. Malfoys are neither.

Seth laughs when figures out the blonde was sneering at the prospect of a job and not them. The dude screams 'money' and he slightly cocks his head to the side in wonderment. The only people he's ever met like that are the Cullens and the blonde doesn't smell like a vampire. At all.

He can't stop his nostrils from flaring as he realizes the smell from the two men is more like... lightening or the smell after a thunder storm, mixed with something spicy. He notices the blonde has more of a citrusy undertone. He jumps a bit, barely biting off an embarrassing squeaking sound, when he sees Joe glaring at him and silently snarling at him. He raises his hands and looks away.

"Well," Seth says excitedly, "it depends what you want to do. I mean, I know the school is looking for a teacher." He gives both men a pointed look, "but you'd probably be _going_ there and not teaching." He doesn't get a chance to mention the other odd jobs he knows about, though. He's been bugging Jake to let him work at the garage with him, so he will keep that to himself. Not that either of these dudes look like they would even know what a car is let alone fix one.

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin again, "We're done school, thanks. Harry was actually looking to teach." A strange look settles on the blonde's face and Seth is amused when he realizes Draco looks unsure. "I don't think he's qualified to teach... er... Americans," he finishes lamely and it sounds like a question.

"Americans aren't dumber than you guys, you know," Seth says with a slight frown and points a finger at Draco.

Draco blinks and leans back slightly. "Oh, sorry. No. Fuck. I meant non-magical people," he says, giving a contrite smile. It's a bit curious he feels the need to explain himself at all but he ignores it for now. "We went to a special school... for magic and we've graduated. Not to mention real world experience," he snorts softly and looks slightly bitter for a moment.

Seth notices Joe reach a hand out before yanking it back with a look of shocked confusion (and smidgen of horror) on his face. He narrows his eyes, trying to sort out just how to ask what's going on with him when Draco speaks again.

"Would all Muggles, non magical people, think it odd if Harry were to teach?" Draco asks, trying to ignore the tall man across from him. It's curious and annoying that he can't keep his eyes off of him for long and he's nearly sweating with the heat flushing through him from the attention from the other man.

Seth nods. "Yeah, man. You guys don't look old enough to have been through college. Well," he points at Harry, "he sorta does." He looks at Harry closely and nods again. "I think the posh accent will help though," he says with a grin. "It's wicked cool."

"Ah, yes," Draco's lips twitch, fighting a smile and he shakes his head. "You realize that to me, _you_ have the accent, right?"

Seth laughs and points at Draco, "OK, you gotta point. Anyways, schools here want degrees and shit. I don't think your special secret school is going to count." He raises a questioning brow and Draco nods slightly. "Well, can you like fake stuff with those?" he asks, pointing to the wand still in the blonde's hand. He's not sure if wizards can do stuff like in movies but he's practically rubbing his hands in anticipation if they can.

"Of course we can." Draco says with an eye roll and a smirk. "I can conjure practically anything I want. Matter of fact," he raises his wand slightly, waving it in a swooping twirling motion towards Harry as he mutters something under his breath.

Seth cocks his head, only just barely able to make out the muttered words. Latin? How weird. Before he can think more on the Latin, he stares wide-eyed at Harry. Gaping openly as Harry's clothes seem to melt and shift, replaced with an elegant dark green sequined ball gown. He peeks under the table and nearly collapses in a fit of giggles when he sees matching green high heels.

Harry looks down at himself and glares at Draco. "Really?" he asks dryly, waving a hand over himself and the gown melts back into the clothes he'd been originally wearing. He sees Seth staring at him still and grins. "I don't always need my wand. Unlike some wizards," he says with a cheeky grin at Draco. It grows when the blonde glares, muttering something like 'chosen git'.

Seth is nearly bursting with questions at the odd exchange. "So," he asks, affecting a casual air and sighs quietly when he sees Harry immediately tense up. Apparently his goal of causal sucked. "It almost seems like you guys have run away or something. What happened?"

Harry and Draco share a look and Harry is the one to finally answer. "Long story, mate. We're not runaways though, more like just looking for something different," he says carefully.

"Long story?" Seth repeats with an amused snort. "Well, we got time," he says as he crosses his arms and leans back, proving his point. He nearly whimpers when Harry's eyes flash dark for a moment and he hastens to add: "If you want to tell us, I mean."

He quietly breathes a sigh of relief when Harry's face clears. He's no longer sure what to make of Harry; the guy can rival Sam sometimes on the 'scary-meter'.

Harry leans back after a moment and laughs, he can't help it. He really didn't mean to intimidate the young werewolf but he just didn't want to go into his reasons. "We'll see," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "If we stick around long enough, I'm sure it'll come up again." Harry stretches and starts a bit when he notices Jake glaring at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Jake says and shakes himself and gives Harry a sheepish smile. He's not about to admit he was pissed when Harry said 'if we stick around'. "I think we should talk, though. Alone," he stresses the last word to Seth mostly, as Joe is still lost in his own world of Draco staring.

Seth whines, "Jake", drawing out the 'a'. He just shakes his head firmly.

Harry's gaze darts between the two werewolves and he nods. "Alright," he says slowly. He reaches for the bill and snatches it before any of the other men can. He grins at Jake's affronted expression as he get his wallet out. "Oh bugger. I don't have small bills. Will she look at me funny if I leave this?" he asks and holds up a $50 and waves it slightly. "I'm still getting used to Mugg— I mean, American money." And he is; he's used to pounds and Galleons. American money is just odd and he's still floundering with the exchange rate. He's got a feeling he'll be overpaying frequently.

Jake peeks at the bill and laughs. "Funny? No. Love you forever? Yes. The bill is only, like, thirty bucks man. That's a really big tip." At Harry's doubtful expression he smiles and pats his forearm, barely resisting the urge to caress and slide his fingers further up. He jerks his hand away and forces a chuckle. "Seriously, it'll be OK, she'll just worship you whenever you come in." He doesn't understand why Draco roars with laughter when Harry groans with a grimace as he mutters 'great' under his breath. "I wouldn't wait for Beth, though. You can leave the money, no one will take it."

Draco waves his wand and the quiet fuzzy bubble disappears with a nearly audible _pop_ and they all pile out of the booth. Harry hangs back with Jake as they walk out of the door and down the street. Draco and Joe end up walking side by side, with Seth orbiting around them chattering away even though neither is really paying any attention to him.

As soon as Harry judges them far enough away, he turns to Jake. "OK, what did we need to talk about privately?" he asks, idly glancing back at Draco. The blonde is leaning against a phone pole with his arms crossed in a seemingly casual manner over his chest. Anyone else looking would think he was calm and relaxed but Harry can see his shoulders are tense and he knows Draco's wand is in the hand tucked against his chest. He wants to smile at his protectiveness but he's got a feeling Jake won't appreciate it.

Jake looks to the other group, holds up a hand and pulls Harry further down the street. "Sorry, but wolf hearing is really good," he says quietly in explanation. He flashes a small smile before he rubs his hands over his face in frustration and not a small amount of embarrassment.

How exactly does he explain imprinting on a guy that's basically a stranger? It's hard for _him_ to grasp and he knows about it. He sighs and looks up at the sky, not finding any miraculous answers. He finally settles on honesty. Just blurt it out and be honest; answer any questions. Well, that's if Harry doesn't run away. Or zap him with his wand.

"Okay," Jake says slowly, exhaling. "Well, there's this thing that wolves do. Well, the ones in our pack. Well. Some of the ones in our pack," he says, realizing he's babbling. He takes another slow, deep breath and can't bring himself to look at Harry. He can _feel_ the other man smiling and it's equally distracting and reassuring.

Before he tries to explain more he simply asks, "Harry, do you feel anything? For me?" Oh man, his cheeks feel like they're on fire he's blushing so bad.

Harry blinks owlishly up at Jake, feeling an answering blush on his own cheeks. "Erm," he says, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down for a moment. He glances back up, smiling a bit at Jake's expression; it's rather adorable to see him blush. "I have a feeling you aren't going to be freaked out or surprised if I say yes," he finally answers quietly.

Jake looks up and smiles. "No, I wouldn't be. So, yeah. That's the thing. It's called imprinting. I imprinted. On you," he explains, feeling like an idiot for his bumbling words. He's not even sure he's making sense. "And, well. You're mine. And more importantly, I'm yours."

He can't look away from Harry, even though he wants to. It seems important that he's looking and he's glad he is or he wouldn't have seen confusion cloud Harry's green eyes. He takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words.

"It's like, I don't know, love at first sight. Or something. Predestined mates or some shit." Jake huffs, flailing a hand around. How can he explain the feeling or exactly what it means? He doesn't think he ever could explain the rightness or the way he feels like everything is just... attached to Harry. That the other man is his everything. He sighs, shoulders slumping, resigned and frustrated. "That's why I got all pissed when you mentioned leaving. I, well, I don't want you to," he admits quietly.

Harry's eyes go hard and Jake is confused when he sees anger flash through them. He nearly steps back from the intensity. "That hardly seems fair," Harry says tightly. "You have no choice in the matter?"

'No," Jake says with a shrug and a shake of his head, still a bit addled and confused by Harry's anger. "But, I mean, it's not a bad thing," he hurries to add when Harry's scowl deepens. "It's like—When you imprint, it's because that person is perfect for you. In every way. They're... everything," he says and shrugs helplessly, unsure if he's explaining it right.

A softening in Harry's expression is encouraging, so he continues.

"So, with wolves, well the ones in my pack... I think it makes it easier so we don't miss the best chance. For, uh, well usually for mating." Oh god, he just said mating to Harry. He groans pitifully and hides his face in his hands a moment. He peeks through his fingers and smiles wanly at Harry's bemused expression. He drops his hands and sighs wistfully, "In my case, I have no idea why I'd imprint. I mean, it's not like—" he twirls a hand between them and hopes Harry gets the idea.

Harry does and laughs softly while shaking his head (he's not sure how ready he is to tell Jake he's wrong) and Jake feels lost in it. Harry's eyes have warmed and Jake wonders if he could swim around in them. "I see what you're saying now. That's, well, that's pretty amazing when you look at it that way," he says with a smile. He doesn't miss the zoned out look Jake gets.

"I didn't mean to get mad before. Well, I _did_ , but it wasn't directed at you," he says softly, restraining the urge to lay a comforting hand on Jake. "I'm just sick of someone—or some cosmic thing, in this case—dictating my life," he explains, and just shrugs at Jake's blank nod. "I know, you have no idea why that would piss me off so much, but I'll tell you." He reaches out and finally gives in to the urge and takes Jake's hand in his.

Jake gasps softly and immediately closes his fingers over Harry's to hold it and Harry is amused to see the werewolf look down at this hands with something akin to reverence. Jake opens his fingers slightly and his other hand has come up, the index finger tracing the fine bones on the back of Harry's hand. It's delicate but strong at the same time and he's awed.

"I mean, I totally get it if you're not interested," Jake says, voice a little slurred. "In _that_ way. I can probably be OK with being friends or something," he says thoughtfully.

He could probably handle friendship; most imprints lead to marriage but he doesn't know how that would work for him. "Whatever you need," he says, adamantly, looking right into Harry's eyes. Such pretty green eyes.

Jake looks away again. He doesn't want to freak Harry out and he's unsure just how their connection will go. "I'm still getting used to it all myself, so I'd understand," he continues, vaguely realizing he's babbling but he can't seem to stop himself. He just wants Harry to know, understand and be OK.

Harry's skin is warm, even to him, and his hand fits in his perfectly. Jake turns Harry's hand over and slowly runs his thumb along Harry's palm, a warmth going through him at the contact. Harry tugs on his hand and he nearly lets it go assuming Harry wanted him to drop it. Instead, he grips it tighter, on some instinct, and Harry pulls him closer.

They're almost flush against each other and he gasps when he looks down at Harry. Harry's pretty green eyes are dark but not with anger, this time Jake's sure it's desire. A shudder works up his back and a soft moan escapes his mouth without his permission but he doesn't mind when it causes Harry's eyes to drop to his lips.

He licks his own, shocked their so dry. He's stooped now, trying to be level with Harry, eyes nearly crossing when they get closer.

"And, if I am interested? In _that_ way?" Harry asks with a smile, leaning closer so his breath is puffing over Jake's lips. Oh Merlin, he's _so close_. Jake's eyes are glazed again and his lips part. Jake doesn't even have to answer; he knows what it will be.

He closes the gap between them and places his lips on Jake's. By any measure, the kiss is chaste. It shouldn't really cause warmth to tingle through him at the slight contact. The hairs all over standing up. His mind nearly blanks as he imagines what a deeper kiss would do.

Harry pulls away slightly, his lips practically tingling and murmurs, "I have a feeling that Draco is in for a shock."

Jake blinks and leans back a bit, caught off guard by the statement. He frowns down at Harry, "Why? Were you two—" He pauses and swallows thickly, willing himself not to look up and glare at the snooty blonde, "—seeing each other?" He would be pissed if some guy came and stole his man, imprint or not. It just isn't cool.

"Merlin, No!" Harry's head falls forward to rest on Jake's chest and he laughs. "We're just friends. He's my best friend, he's fit and all but I don't fancy him." He smiles at Jake's lost look. "I mean, no. He's hot but not my type," he explains, chuckling a bit.

Jake's face clears of confusion but he frowns again. "Okay, so what do you mean? It's kinda awkward to mention him after you've just kissed me, you know."

"True." Harry laughs softly and pats Jake's chest, having to stop himself from fondling the man's chest. "No, I meant because I saw that Joe bloke giving Draco the same looks you gave me," he says, his eyes dancing with mirth. His tongue pokes out to run along his top lip as he thinks and Jake's eyes track it eagerly. "How normal is it for werewolves to imprint on a guy?"

Jake snorts, the noise holding little amusement and his face darkens. "Not normal at all. As a matter of fact, I was the first one. I—" He pauses, and swallows past a lump in his throat. He sees Harry's face soften and he reaches up a hand to cup his cheek. Jake is amazed at how much the small gesture touches and calms him, he can't help leaning into the touch. "I was kicked out of my pack because of it."

Harry sighs sadly and shakes his head, "I'm so sorry, Jake." He feels a twinge of sympathy. He'd been basically kicked out of his 'family' for the same reason.

"Don't be. It's no one's fault really. None of use can choose who we imprint on," Jake explains with a slight shrug. "Sam, the Alpha, felt I would be a useless distraction and booted me," he bites out, feeling his eyes prickle a bit. He's sure they'd be bright with unshed tears.

"But it's not all horrible," he finally says, jerking his head towards Joe and Seth a bit, not wanting to dislodge Harry's hand. He didn't want ever break the contact, if he could help it. "I have a new pack. It's smaller, but, I think, better." He smiles as he glances over at his pack. "Much better. They haven't judged me or made me feel bad about something I can't control. They joined my pack knowing why I was kicked out," he says softly, feeling a warmth in his chest at the realization.

He looks down and sees Harry's eyes are hard in the dark, scary way again. "You know, you're kinda scary when you get pissed."

Harry startles, his expression clearing as he grins sheepishly up at Jake. "Yeah, I've been told that before. Sorry," he says softly. "I just keep forgetting how different things are. Where I'm from, you aren't treated this way because you're gay." He doesn't add the 'usually'. Jake doesn't need to have his bitterness dumped on top of his own sorrow right now.

"I didn't think it was all that better in England..." Jake says, his voice going up a bit at the end to make it almost a question.

"No, well, it's a little better I suppose. But I meant in the wizarding world. It's not common, really, but it's not really a big deal. Unless you're a pure-blood, but even that's slowly changing," Harry laughs softly at Jake's confused look. "I know now is not the time, but I have _a lot_ to tell you. Suffice it to say, Draco is a pure-blood," he says, hooking a thumb at a very stiff, annoyed looking blonde.

Jake's face lights up with understanding. "Oh! So, basically snooty rich people." Harry nods with a loud laugh. Remembering what Harry said about Draco being his best friend, he tries to soften the rude comment. "Uh, I mean, he seems nice when he's not acting snooty." He winces slightly; that isn't much better.

"No," Harry snorts with amusement and pats Jake's chest reassuringly. It's quickly becoming a habit... "He's still a git; he hasn't changed _that_ much. But you're right, when he's not trying to be snooty, and and actually makes the effort to be himself he's a great bloke."

He pauses and is pleased to see Jake considering it. Not many people look at Draco Malfoy as anything other than a spoiled, ex-Death Eater. He's glad they landed in a place that's completely ignorant of the Dark Lord and Death Eaters. "Anyway, it's late and I think we're going to need to continue this tomorrow. Can I meet you somewhere?" he asks as he regretfully steps back slightly.

Jake frowns at the distance but nods. As nice as it is standing close to Harry, he doesn't want to crowd or rush the man. "Of course. I can meet you at your place and I can show you the town."

"Sure. When?"

Jake purses his lips a moment as he thinks. "Well, I don't have to patrol with Sam anymore, so as soon as I'm done in the garage I can head over. So, around two or so?"

Harry nods and grins, "Sure thing. Pick me up at two. Is it okay if Draco comes as well? There's really not a lot I don't tell him and he can help me tell you about... stuff. Plus, he needs to get used to being here."

"Yeah," Jake says slowly. He doesn't really want Draco there, he wants to be alone with Harry but he finds himself agreeing, unable to not do what Harry wants. "As long as I can bring Joe," he adds quickly and grins when Harry laughs.

He likes Harry's laugh and he makes a note to do or say whatever he can to hear it again.

"Not Seth, though," he says, knowing that Harry thought his youngest pack mate is amusing and not so bad to hang around. Well, Harry had been polite and friendly towards Seth all night, anyway. "He's annoying in big doses and I'm hoping to distract him with something shiny. Or some candy."

Harry shrugs, chuckling softly. "I think Seth is fun but whatever works for me. Okay," he leans close a moment and brushes his lips against Jake's again. As he leans back, he grins. "I can really get used to that," he says softly. "Right, let's go rescue our friends from their bursting curiosity." With that he grabs Jake's hand and they walk back to the other group. Draco raises a pale eyebrow at their joined hands but says nothing until they all part ways and say good night.

"So," Draco muses.

"So," Harry intones.

"That was a weird night."

Harry nods and fishes in his pocket for the key to their room. "It certainly was," he agrees as he opens the door. He steps in and flops onto the small sofa. He summons the bottle of firewhiskey Draco has hidden in his pack, smirking at the blonde's disgruntled expression, and he proceeds to fill Draco in on most of what he learned earlier.

As he gets to the part about imprinting, he's smirking as Draco's face pales and his mouth opens and closes with no sound coming out for a moment.

"Oh, Merlin. Is that why that bloke was looking at me like that?" Draco breathes. At Harry's nod, he drops his face in his hands and groans. "Well, buggering shit."

Harry's face smooths out as he looks over Draco's slumped posture. "Didn't you... Well, didn't you feel something?" he asks quietly. He was pretty sure Jake said the imprint would feel something in return, even if the intensity isn't the same.

He frowns when Draco flops back on the bed with a miserable sounding sigh. He doesn't know what to do, how to fix it. It'll crush Joe but he's sure there's something they can do...

Draco grabs a pillow and places it over his face. "I did," he finally mutters into the pillow. A moment later, it's whipped off and Harry is smirking down at him. "You heard me. I did. He's fucking gorgeous, so of course I'd feel _something_ ," he admits with a frown.

He had no intention of telling Harry that it was a warm, fuzzy feeling that squirmed through him whenever Joe would look at him. Which was quite frequently. He doesn't even want to remember the hot zing that went through him when Joe touched him briefly. It was only the once but he really wouldn't have bitched if the man had done it again.

As it was, he spent most of the evening standing close to Joe. Close enough he could feel the werewolf's high body temperature and not be at all creeped out by the proximity. Harry only continues to smirk down at him and he hits the bed on either side of him with his fists in a childish huff.

"Oh, alright! Fine! It was the easily the weirdest, most amazing thing I've ever felt. It was like, I don't know..." he trails off, waving a hand helplessly for a moment. The feeling is so hard to describe and it's bloody annoying. "A puzzle piece."

When Harry's face lights up, he doesn't feel so awkward about it. He raises an eyebrow to see understanding on the other wizard's face. He listens closely while Harry relates what Jake had told him, stunned and feeling a little lightheaded by the end.

"It's so weird, Harry," Draco murmurs. "We come across the world on a whim and bump into our soul mates?"

Harry frowns and sits heavily next to Draco, his glass of firewhiskey all but forgotten in his hand. "You know, you're right. That's very odd. Draco," he turns and pins the blonde with an searching look, "what spell did you use when we picked this place?"

Draco sits up and rubs his chin thoughtfully, shrugging one shoulder. "Just a simple variation of a scrambling charm. I've used it dozens of time to sort through outfits and such."

"So basically a wizarding version of eeny meeny miney?" Harry snorts and starts giggling, chanting some nonsense about picking a tiger's toe.

"Anyway," Draco interrupts, "that's all I used. We took a port-key to get to across to America and then you were able to Apparate us here. No one knew exactly where we were headed, unless you told Hermione. And, I highly doubt those wolves could slip us a love potion, especially since Jake was giving you moon eyes the moment he saw you."

Harry's eyes are unfocused as he stares off, lost in thought. "Alright, all good points," he finally murmurs. "It just seems odd." But just his luck, really. He doesn't say it aloud though, just shakes his head as if to clear it. "I probably have to stop thinking like everyone is out to get me," he says with a sharp little smile. "Besides, I didn't feel any other wizards around, did you?" Draco shakes his head. "So, just a coincidence." Draco can tell Harry is still suspicious and he really can't blame him.

"Well, tomorrow Jake is coming, with Joe," he adds with a smirk, "and we're going to hang out. So, be ready by two, yeah?" With that Harry gets up, waves his hand to change his clothes into his pyjamas and slips into bed before Draco can think to object.

.

Draco is rudely awoken some time before dawn. He groans softly when he sees it's still dark out. He blearily looks around the room with a scowl for the source of his rude awakening and his face softens when he notices Harry laying across the bed. He's stayed right where he fell asleep, practically perched on the very edge. He's softly whimpering and weakly thrashing around.

One of Harry's legs kicks out and bumps into Draco and it's obvious that's what's woke him up. Slowly, he reaches a hand out and places it on Harry's shoulder, whether to comfort or jiggle him awake, he isn't sure. The contact almost immediately calms Harry and he sighs with relief. Harry turns with a sleepy sigh and scoots closer. He rolls his eyes and allows Harry to snuggle into him.

A soft sigh is all he hears from Harry as he falls back asleep.

The next time Draco wakes up, it's horribly bright in their room and he's disoriented for a moment. The bed isn't nearly as comfortable as he's used to and the curtains are a tacky lace pattern that do fuck all to block the light. With a frown, he goes to roll over, away from the offending sunlight when he notices his arm is pinned. By Harry.

He huffs in irritation and nearly yanks his arm free before he realizes how comfortable he is with Harry nearly smashed against him. He should have figured the Gryffindor is still a snuggler. He snorts softly, as he takes in Harry's arm draped across his waist and their legs tangled together.

After a moment he feels Harry shift before he hears a soft, "Oh hell." He's expecting Harry to freak out, and he does, but not because he woke up plastered to him.

"Draco," Harry mutters, shaking the blonde softly. "C'mon. We gotta get up. It's nearly one." He sits up, muttering another curse as he searches for his glasses. "Draco!" he calls over his shoulder and smiles when he sees sleepy grey eyes glaring at him. "Morning, sleeping beauty. Get up. We gotta get ready. Jake and Joe are gonna be here soon." With that, Harry shuffles off to the bathroom.

Draco nearly curses the git; how is he supposed to get ready if Harry's hogging the bathroom? Before he can start banging on the door, 10 minutes later Harry opens it and saunters out fully dressed. Hair still damp.

Harry runs a hand through his hair, trying to flatten and tame it a bit. He tosses his towel towards a small hamper, calling after Draco as the blonde hurries past him towards the bathroom. "All yours," he says with a flourished bow. "And seriously, if you're in there for longer than thirty minutes, I'm dragging you out, no matter what you're doing," he calls out, having the say the last bit through the closed door.

He chuckles when he hears a muttered "annoying speccy git. Just want to see my arse".


	3. Chapter 3

Harry is just about to bang on the door for Draco when he stops at the window on his way to the bathroom. He looks out and smiles. He should have known why the forest behind the small building had pleased him so much when he first saw it; Jake and Joe are standing just on the edge of the treeline. They appear to be talking, pointing to the building every so often. He frowns slightly when Joe shakes his head but soon enough they both still and look up to the window. Harry wonders if they can see him. Unsure, he raises his hand in a wave and Jake's face breaks into a sunny smile and he raises his own hand.

Feeling strangely giddy, Harry waves back and raises one finger in a 'wait a minute' gesture, disappearing from the window.

For the past week this has been the routine; Jake and Joe materialize near the forest and they go out and meet them and spend nearly the entire day together. So far they've only been around the town, spending their time getting used to the new country, and Muggle areas, with their werewolf tour guides. Yesterday he asked about seeing the reservation and he's got a feeling that's why Joe was shaking his head. He's not sure whether or not to feel disappointed.

Just as Harry is about to raise his hand to bang on the bathroom door, it swings open to reveal a smirking Draco.

"Sorry, Potter. You'll have to wait some more to catch me naked," Draco says with a smirk and throws his wet towel carelessly over his shoulder, towards the small bathroom. "I'm starving. Are those wolves taking us for lunch or what?" He stretches and turns around, hoping Harry didn't notice his hopeful tone.

Harry laughs, wiggling his eyebrows since he easily sees through Draco. "Of course. They're here, so let's go." He quickly grabs his hoodie, shrinks it and shoves it in his pocket as he makes his way to the door. "C'mon," he says impatiently. He waves a hand and a small silver key zooms across the room before it tucks itself into his pocket with the hoodie.

Draco rolls his eyes and follows Harry as they make their way down and out the back of the building.

He's still surprised when he feels a pleasant squirmy sensation worm its way through his chest when he sees Joe standing next to Jake. Joe hasn't seen him yet, so he eagerly takes a moment to look the other man over. His nearly black hair is short but shaggy around his strong face. His eyes are a rich deep brown (reminding him strongly of his favorite Honeyduke's chocolate) but his skin isn't nearly as dark as Jake's.

Joe is almost as tall as Jake and he's nearly as broad around as Jake, though neither man is overly muscled. Draco's gaze travel downwards and his trousers feel tighter as he takes in the man's groin. He flushes when he looks up and notices Joe is looking right at him; brown eyes warm with amusement (and affection, he thinks). Again.

Draco tries on a smirk, but it feels more like a grimace. Joe smiles warmly at him and he feels like he's melting from the inside. Is this how Harry feels when Jake looks at him? He glances at Harry from the corner of his eye and Harry is indeed smiling like a loon. He stifles a laugh and finally speaks. How long have they all been standing here staring at each other?

"So, where to? I'm hoping lunch is the first order of business."

Jake's eyes slowly roll over to the blonde before he turns his head to look fully at Draco and smiles. "Sure sure. We can eat. Hell, we always can eat," he says and pats his flat stomach and Draco snorts quietly when Harry's gaze dart to the area and darken a bit, his tongue poking out to wet the corner of his mouth. "There aren't many places around here, so I hope Beth's again is okay?"

They haven't bothered finding another place to eat since they at met up there last week; he's pretty sure Draco loves the lavish attention Beth shows them since that first night and the ridiculously large tip.

"Alright. After you," Draco shrugs and waves a hand imperiously. He adds a little bow and mentally curses the flush he feels when Joe bows back and attaches a hand to his lower back. "Er," he says but can't think of anything to add so they walk to the restaurant in silence. Really, he should complain; he knows where the place is, he doesn't need to be led. He can't muster the annoyance and wants to hex himself for how much he enjoys the very large, very warm hand resting against his lower back.

Jake's hands are twitching and Harry looks down at them as they walk. "Jake," he murmurs, "whatever those hands are wanting to do, let them." He smiles, "It's kind of distracting seeing them twitch like that."

Jake barks a nervous laugh but one of his hands settles around Harry's, their fingers easily weaving together. "Is this okay?" he asks quietly. "I don't know if you're cool with holding hands. With a dude and all," he mumbles awkwardly, trying to explain his hesitation.

He doesn't really care. _Harry is holding his hand_ and he enjoys the way Harry's palm hits his, the perfect way they align and nestle together. He's mentally curses himself and his habit of second guessing his urges to touch Harry. He'd worry and fret over something but every time Harry smiles and says 'go for it'. He wonders when he'll stop it and just do it.

Harry smiles and squeezes the hand in his lightly. "Completely okay," he assures. He leans in and hides another smile when Jake immediately bends closer. "Its not a secret, but I'll tell you something. You aren't the first guy I've held hands with." When Jake sneaks a glance at Draco, Harry laughs and slaps his chest with his free hand. "No. Again, we're only friends and only ever were friends. I've had a boyfriend or two before. So don't worry about me being uncomfortable. I'm completely okay with it."

Jake nods, grimacing at the warring feelings going through him. He's pleased Harry won't shy away from him but he's torn with jealousy that someone else has touched Harry before. Well. Now he knows. He glances over at the wizard, feeling a little foolish. Harry is gorgeous, of course he's had people interested.

"Oh. Well, I haven't. Before. So. Harry, uh. This is awkward..." he trails off, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Harry just looks up at Jake, eyes slightly narrowed as he tries to figure out what Jake isn't saying. "Two," he says simply.

"What?" Jake looks blank a moment before his face flushes. "No, I was going to ask how old you were. I only just realized I never asked before." Jake looks away, embarrassed. He really hadn't thought to ask before. It didn't seem important. It still isn't, not really; he doesn't really care about age differences but he would like to know.

Harry laughs softly and waves a hand as if wiping away his previous answer. "Well, in that case my answer is twenty; twenty one in July. You? I wouldn't guess anything past eighteen," he says, looking Jake over thoroughly. "And I mean by looks only. Sometimes you act like you're thirty," he says with a smile, hoping to soften the statement. He

"I'm nineteen," Jake answers with a slight frown, a bit surprised. "I uh, don't think I'm really going to age since I've looked about the same since I changed when I was sixteen. Which, isn't a big change but still," he says quietly. He doesn't want to scare Harry but he feels it's an important piece of information to share.

Harry stops walking and stares a moment. "Really? Is that normal?"

"I don't know," Jake says with a slightly sad sigh. "There's a lot I don't know. Sam kept a lot of stuff to himself and the elders didn't like to talk about anything without Sam around." He makes a mental note to visit the elders. They have to tell him now that he's an Alpha, right?

Harry nods once before he starts walking again, relieved when he sees the sign for Beth's a few feet ahead of them. "Wizards age slower, as well. And live longer. So," he says and shrugs, as if it's no big deal. They'll have to discuss the whole 'aging' thing later but not now. "Oh, and remember, if it's crowded, we can't use magic, yeah?" Harry glances back to find Draco walking with Joe. They're walking close, their elbows brushing occasionally.

Jake nods, feeling sheepish. He'd only asked, the one time, if Harry could summon the salt from the other side of the diner. And when Harry put Seth under a tickle spell and turned his hair orange, he only had asked what else magic could do.

They make their way inside and the place is full enough, they eat and just enjoy talking about random things for most of the afternoon. After 2 hours, Harry is surprised Beth hasn't kicked them out; she just came over with refills, all happy smiles, offering them numerous things from the bakery case. She would wave when she saw any of them outside of the diner; Harry nearly ducked behind a car when Beth hollered and waved the other day, causing Jake to go into a laughing fit that lasted over an hour, the image of Harry ducking and hiding renewing his laughter whenever he thought about it. It was the first time Harry had been annoyed with him.

Harry stretches, not missing Jake's gaze on him as he does, and slumps forward. "Well, lads, unless we're going to sit here until dinnertime rolls around, how about you show us around a bit more?" he asks, looking around the table.

They all make noises of agreement and head out after waving and saying goodbye to Beth. He looks around before his gaze settles on Jake. "Okay, where to and how are we getting there?" he asks, looking around for Jake's car.

Jake has even let him drive it a time or two and offered to get him one. Draco, in a shocking move, learned how to drive the car and thoroughly enjoyed doing it. He's still learning how to keep his foot off of the accelerator, much to Seth's delight. Harry is just relieved they'd never learned to drive at home; he didn't think he could handle trying to remember which side to drive on and the thought of Draco speeding along the left side made him shudder.

Jake shifts awkwardly and glances at Joe for a moment and then sneaks a look behind his shoulder. No one is around but them. "I didn't think to bring my car. I was so excited to see you today I just ran." At Harry's blank look, Jake sighs and smiles. "As a wolf. Its faster, since I can stay in the forest and get pretty much anywhere in town."

Harry's eyes light up. "Oh wow. Can we see that?" he asks, excited, waving a hand between himself and Draco.

Jake shifts on his feet again and shares another look with Joe before he shrugs. Pulling Harry by the hand, he leads them to a cluster of trees. It's not as dense as the forest, but it'll be good enough.

"Okay, but you can't say anything," he says and ignores the 'duh' look Harry gives him. "The only reason I'm showing you is because, well, you're allowed to know," he says, smiling brightly even though his cheeks are warm. He looks at Draco and nods to the blonde, "You can too, because of—" he cuts himself off but nods pointedly at Joe.

Draco flushes and gives Harry a warning glare when he see him open his mouth to say something. "Fair enough. If we're hiding in the forest, let's go." Draco sets a brisk pace, trying to convince himself he's not looking forward to seeing them turn into wolves. He's not. Not at all.

Harry jogs to keep up and isn't surprised to see Jake easily keeping pace with him, looking like he's barely even moving faster than a brisk walk. "Draco," he pants slightly, "there's no rush. Merlin, slow down!" A moment later, they've reached the trees but keep going, apparently needing deeper cover.

They finally make it to a clearing and stop. "Okay," Harry pants, "go." He grins but quickly finds himself blushing fiercely when both men start to strip out of their clothes. He doesn't make any real effort to curb his staring, either.

Jake feels his cheeks heat under Harry's attention and awkwardly folds his clothes. "If I don't take them off, they're ripped to shreds when I phase. So..."

As soon as Jake drops his boxer briefs, Harry is staring at a large russet colored wolf. He didn't even have time to lament the loss of a quick peek at Jake's bits as he gapes and walks toward the large wolf without a second thought. The wolf's shoulders reach his armpits and Harry is amazed at the sheer size of Jake.

"Wow," he breathes. "Jake," he murmurs, his hand coming up and petting the wolf between his large ears.

The fur is soft under his palm and he can't stop himself from petting along the wolf's back and flank. Harry wants to giggle when the wolf makes a happy yipping sound and rolls onto his back, showing his belly. He kneels down and runs his hands over the large chest and belly, wiggling his fingers through the thick, soft fur.

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Draco cautiously approaching a large (but not as large as Jake, he notes with a curious sense of smugness) cream colored wolf, his hand extended stiffly. He looks back and grins at Jake. "I guess I'm not as freaked out as blondie." The wolf makes an inquisitive noise, head cocking adorably, and bumps his hand with his muzzle. Harry smiles, continuing his petting when Jake's head bumps his hand.

"My godfather was an Animagus. He was a wizard who was able to transform into an animal. His was a dog," he explains when Jake huffs, his head cocked again. "A really big dog. Not as big as you, of course, but still."

Harry smiles when Jake makes a snuffling noise and butts his cheek with his furry head. "Like I said, Jake. Long story," he says softly, running a hand through the fur on Jake's neck. He feels a warm tongue licking his cheek and he wipes the other cheek absently. He hasn't realized he's crying.

"Sorry," he murmurs, sniffling and wiping at his face with quick swipes. "Most of it really depressing. Like something from a sordid book or some such nonsense." When Jake whines deep in his throat and his ears fold back unhappily, Harry scrubs at the fur between his ears again. "It's the past, don't worry about it."

Harry glances around to see Draco and Joe (still as a wolf) sitting a few yards away. Draco's hand is resting on the wolf's back and he's happy to see a delighted smile on the blonde's face. When he looks back, Jake is no longer a wolf, but his face is still sad. Jake's shorts are back on and he has to look up into the canopy of trees so he's not distracted by Jake's naked chest.

"Do you really want to hear it now?" he asks quietly after a long quiet moment. He's been finding himself more and more distracted by Jake the past few days. Now the man is sitting there half naked and Harry wants to just crawl in his lap and run his lips and hands all over him. He takes a deep breath and tries not to jump when Jake moves.

"Yeah, I do," Jake says and shifts closer, taking Harry's hand in his. "This sorta thing—" He waves a hand between them, "isn't a passing fancy or a summer fling, Harry. So, yeah. I'd like to know. I'll tell you about me first, if you want?" he offers with a smile.

Apparently, Harry can't find a reason to disagree and he finally nods, slow and deliberate. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Okay, well, I was born here. Raised here. I've got two sisters, but they've long since moved away. My mom died in a car crash a few years back." Harry murmurs a quiet, 'sorry', he squeezes his hand in thanks and continues. "My dad is sick and in a wheelchair, so I take care of him, the house and the garage."

Jake looks down at their joined hands before continuing. "I found out about being a werewolf a few summers ago. Everything was so crazy. My friends were disappearing and hanging out with this gang. Well, it turns out the gang was the other guys in our tribe that had the wolf in them. Sam, for as much of a dick he is, did help me when everything happened. I felt like I was going insane at first," he says quietly, his voice soft as he loses himself in memories for a moment.

He clears his throat and gives Harry a side glance. "The reason it happens is something in our blood. Something that's been there for generations. But it's usually dormant. There hasn't been a generation of active wolves in nearly eighty years," he adds, thoughtful.

"Anyway, until our natural enemy is around, we'd be normal like anyone else." Harry is looking at him, eyes bright and interested. He doesn't look unbelieving or shocked. Just interested and listening attentively for him to finish. "Vampires," he finishes lamely.

Harry blinks, head tilting back a little in surprise. "Around here? But... we didn't notice any," he says and looks around as if he expects to see one hiding behind a tree. He frowns to himself.

He really didn't notice any other magical beings when they had checked the second day they were here. The werewolves didn't show up as magical, per se, but they did register once they knew what signature they had. His brow furrows; maybe the vampires would be just as difficult to pinpoint? The idea sends a quick shudder through him.

"Well, they're here," Jake says with a shrug. "They're miles from here and they keep to themselves." Harry raises one dark eyebrow at him and Jake wonders if Draco taught him that.

Harry huffs a soft laugh. "Vampires that keep to themselves? America is completely fucked up, you know that?" He laughs but Jake looks confused. "I'm sorry, I meant that in a good way if you can believe it. But where I'm from vampires are vicious, blood thirsty dark creatures. They don't 'keep to themselves'," he says, shuddering lightly as he remembers the few covens he had run across in the final battle and days after.

"Oh, I get it," Jake says, thinking of the vampires that didn't mind sucking a human dry. "Well, I have no idea what kind they are but they go against most things I knew about vampires. But they don't kill people, so we've learned to get along," he says with a wry smile.

Harry stares at Jake for a long moment, "I'm sensing a longer story there but I get the feeling it's not that important right now." When Jake shrugs and shakes his head, he purses his lips and scoots closer to Jake along the log they're sitting on. He leans in, warmed by Jake's solid heat along his side. It's brilliant. "Alright. Tell me about your pack?"

Jake sighs and wraps an arm around Harry's shoulders. "When I first phased, I was supposed to be Alpha. Some old family blood thing. I didn't want the responsibility at the time so Sam just stayed Alpha. I was a dumb kid that didn't want the responsibility." He shakes his head sadly. "When I told him about you, he kicked me out of the pack. Said I couldn't add to the pack and I'd make them all uncomfortable." He can't help the sneer or the hurt, angry tone and Harry scoots even closer, laying his hand on his chest.

"Oh god, Harry, it was terrible," he says quietly, his chest hitching with remembered pain, squeezing Harry closer. "I felt so alone. But, Seth, the little genius, said I could embrace my Alpha and they became my new pack." He lets his cheek rest on the top of Harry's head, breathing deeply and enjoying Harry's scent—spice and the air during a storm.

"Seth is like my little brother. I mean, we pretty much grew up together. Joe is great, too." He feels his face heat with a blush and is glad Harry can't see his face. "I only met him fairly recently, his mom was white, so they lived off the reservation for most of his life. When his mom died, he came back with his dad. Most of the other guys ragged on him and were just... assholes. I tried to be friendly when I could. Once he turned into a wolf—which still pisses off Sam—we were able to hang out more. They're the only ones that stood by me," Jake ends softly.

Harry makes a thoughtful noise in his throat as his finger traces along the muscled ridges on Jake's stomach. "Well," he swirls a finger up and around Jake's chest, watching as a brown nipple pebbles. "I'm glad you've got them. Seth is a funny bloke, though. Joe seems quiet." He moves his head just enough to see around Jake to look at Draco and Joe in the distance. He can't see much other than the two are sitting close together. "But I think he'll come around the longer we're about."

He doesn't think Joe is shy, though. Probably just one of those 'men of few words'. He hopes he's a little more talkative with Draco (even if Draco would gladly fill any silences with his own voice). He doesn't really want to know what they do when they're alone if they aren't talking.

Jake laughs, the sound choking off as his breath hitches when he feels Harry's thumb circle around a nipple and then pinch it lightly. "Harry," he breathes. Harry just hums in response, the sound vibrating pleasantly against his naked chest. "You can't distract me," he finally manages. He can feel Harry's lips pull into a smirk

"I know, I just felt like doing that," Harry admits. He feels Jake stops breathing for a moment when he lets his warm breath ghost against Jake's neck for a brief moment. "I'll be good," he says and he sits up.

Jake nearly whimpers as Harry pulls away. He wants to kick himself for opening his big mouth.

Harry sighs softly with resignation and for the next few hours Jake hears the most horrible, fantastic and strange life story from Harry. At some point Draco and Joe join them and the blonde offers extra information or corrects Harry.

Joe, naturally, sits quietly, listening intently the whole time. Jake asks a few questions as they go, unable to help himself from blurting them out. He only gives a sheepish but curious smile when Draco glares at him the first time he opened his mouth.

_"So, you were only a baby when that crazy ass guy first came after you and your parents?"_

_"You were in a cupboard? Wait, what's a cupboard? What! Why would someone stick a kid in there? That's fucked up, man."_ After that, Harry glosses over any details of his childhood at the Dursley's when he can. Jake notices, if the narrowed eyes are any indicator and Harry resigns himself to telling him later.

_"Wait, why were you allowed to just wander around the school when you were like, twelve? No, it isn't any comfort at all you weren't alone."_

_"Woah, how come Dugglededoors guy didn't zap that creep?"_ Harry has to explain the whole Prophecy ordeal and Jake's hands fist and shake. _"That doesn't mean he couldn't have zapped all the other fuckers that were trying to hurt you... or something. Anything!"_

After thinking about it, Harry can only shrug sadly. He doesn't know why he hadn't gotten more help from numerous adults, not just Dumbledore. Too late he learned that Snape was really the only adult that helped him over the years, if what he did could even be called _help_.

_"Holy shit, you seriously saved the world?"_ Draco is the one to answer with a firm "yes", as Harry just looks at his hands and shifts awkwardly.

As they explain more about the wizarding world, even Joe has questions. _"You can kill people with your wands?"_ Both of the wizards nod, their eyes sad and distant with memories.

_"Pictures move?"_ Both werewolves look at some photos Draco has in his wallet they laugh and point at Snape and Lucius wearing expensive black dress robes. _"Wizards dress really weird. Why do you guys wear dresses?"_ Harry snorts (he had thought the same thing when he first saw them) while Draco just lifts his chin with a haughty sneer as he explains tradition and fashion.

After a few moments of silence Jake's face breaks into a scowl. "So," Jake jabs a finger at Draco, "you were 'a right bastard'," he says making quotes, "for most of the time you've known Harry?"

Draco slowly nods, an apologetic look on his face. He wants to explain himself but he can't; he doesn't have any excuses, not really. They were silly children. "Yes," he says simply. He's not sure if he can defend himself to Jake. Jake can clearly see how they are now, but to learn all he just did is going to be fresh for him. He sees anger in Jake's eyes. "I know, but it's the past. We've gotten past it and really, it's not like it was only me," he tries lamely, shooting Harry a glance, silently asking for input. Harry only nods in agreement.

"Fine," Jake scowls as he mutters. "But seriously, I will have no problem tearing you apart if you hurt him ever again," he says, giving Draco a hard look before he sends Joe an apologetic one. He glances over at Harry and frowns at his withdrawn posture. He's slid off the log and is sitting amongst the leaves and pine needles with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his knees. Jake's hands curl into fists when he realizes Harry looks like a lost little kid. Harry hasn't spoken for at least a half hour, he realizes, leaving the end of the story for Draco to tell. "Harry?" he softly asks.

Harry turns his head towards Jake slowly. "Hm?"

"You're amazing. Has anyone ever told you that before?" Jake asks. Harry snorts and he suddenly wants to throttle him and kiss him at the same time. "No, I mean it. I know if I went through half of that I'd be a psycho killer or blubbering in a mental institution somewhere."

Harry makes a scoffing noise but his eyes are hard. "Whose to say I didn't end up like that?"

Jake can only blink, at a loss for reassuring words. He looks to Draco for help but the blonde is only looking at Harry. He recalculates what he thinks about the snooty blonde when he sees silver-grey eyes dark with shared horrors and compassion.

He doesn't know what to say so he slides down the log and gathers Harry close to his chest. Harry sits stiffly for a moment before he relaxes in his embrace and actually tucks his head under his chin with a soft sigh.

"Well, you haven't slaughtered the town and I haven't seen you blubber once. So, I still say you're amazing. And forgiving. And scary as fuck when you get pissed," he adds, easily infusing his voice with admiration and awe. He's relieved when he feels Harry chuckle softly against him and an arm wrap around his waist. Pleasure and relief washes through him warmly when the arm squeezes and Harry snuggles into his chest.

"I've told him all that before, Jacob," Draco offers quietly. "He's a stubborn Gryffindor but at least he's not as stupid as he was. He's finally learned how to make himself happy and that everyone else can get stuffed," he says, sounding quite proud. He makes an embarrassing squeaking noise and ignores Jake's grin when Joe takes his hand, the fingers of his other hand tracing patterns on the skin. He stares for a moment, thrown by the easy way Joe holds his hand.

"Erm, as I was saying,"Draco says, clearing his throat. "Harry's always been treated a certain way, as you've heard, and he's still learning, so..." Draco trails off with a frown. "What?" he glares at Harry who's lifted his head from Jake's chest to stare at him before his eyes flick to Jake.

"Why Draco Malfoy," Harry drawls, "I had no idea you had Hufflepuff tendencies."

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin haughtily. "Whatever, Potter. Don't act so surprised. We have talked about this before, after all." Harry nods and lays his head back on Jake. "We're guys," he says, as if that explains everything. "I should only have to say this kind of thing once. Twice now, since you needed reassuring," he says, making Harry laugh again. The git should be used to Draco's awkward ways.

Jake shifts and picks up Harry easily, to Harry's embarrassment, and perches him on his lap. "Well, to be honest, Draco really is the last person I'd maul," he muses aloud, not really talking to anyone in particular. "I get things got nasty but he's probably the only person who's been there for you all these years. Even when he was trying to fight with you." He spares Draco a bland look. "Your friend Ron? I'd maul him," he says decisively and ignores the odd happy little grunting snort Draco makes as he nods along.

"He's sounds like a dick. Probably the whole family, really. And especially that sister of his. I mean, that chick sounds down right creepy. Stalker much? Following you around and all obsessed and shit. How many times did you have to push her away and she was still trying to make out with you?" he says and shudders dramatically. "Most everyone else is already dead, so I don't have to worry about them," he adds.

He hears a choked noise and looks down at Harry, his expression a bit confusing. Harry looks proud, embarrassed and a little sad all combined and he isn't sure why. Then, he smacks his palm on the forehead and wants to kick himself. "I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean to mention all the... you know, dead people," he says lamely, wishing he could curl into a ball and _stop talking_.

Harry snickers and pokes at Jake's neck with his nose. "I know, and really it's a nice offer. However, I'm perfectly capable of mauling Ron, or anyone else, myself. If I wanted to. I don't have to set my werewolf boyfriend on him." He snickers again at Jake's squeaky gasp. "Mhm, you heard me," he murmurs softly, letting his tongue snake out and taste the tanned column of skin. "Wow," he mutters, "you taste like sunshine."

"Oh." Jake bites down on a groan and tries to subtly shift Harry away from his growing erection. "Stop that," he whines quietly, his eyes darting to a smirking Draco and Joe. "We aren't—" He gasps and twitches when Harry's teeth nip at his collarbone. "We aren't alone!" he hisses lowly.

Harry looks up and blushes lightly. "I know, I can't help it. I'm sorry, there's just something about you that drives me to distraction," he murmurs and flutters a line of soft kisses on Jake's shoulder. It's been an exercise in restraint keeping his hands to himself this past week. "And, just so you know, I have no problem kissing you around other people. So, you're just going to have to get used to it."

He pulls back so he can look to where Draco and Joe are sitting close together and he grins, wagging a finger between the two men. "So. You guys, too, yeah?" As expected, both of their faces go pink and Draco coughs lightly, looking away.

"Sod off, Potter," Draco mutters but he smiles at Joe when the werewolf slides his hand into Draco's again before pulling the blonde to his feet and walking off a few meters.

Harry turns his attention back to Jake's neck, sliding his hand along his stomach and sides. "There. Now we're alone," he announces rather smugly. "Jake?" he whispers.

"Yeah?"

"Have you done anything like this before? With a guy, I mean?"

Jake shifts in embarrassment. His eyes flutter closed when Harry's hands slide along his back, his long slender fingers fluttering and sliding over his skin and raising goosebumps. "No, uh, not with anyone else. Just the little bit with you. But it's not like I haven't thought about it," he admits. "And, uh, well, you know."

"No," Harry murmurs, snickering softly and shaking his head, dragging his teeth lightly along Jake's throat. "I don't know."

Jake groans in embarrassment -and at the sensation of Harry's warm, wet tongue laving a trail to his ear. "You know. I've seen... stuff."

"'Stuff'?" Harry pulls back, face carefully blank. "Jake, you're going to have to elaborate on what 'stuff' means."

Jake is pretty sure Harry is teasing him, but he's not completely sure... he was rather vague. "Uh, you know. Porn and stuff. You know, on the internet," he says, his cheeks warm. The flush is deeper now, again a mix of arousal and embarrassment.

"Internet?" Harry asks, his brow furrowing.

"You know... computers?"

Harry shrugs, his attention now back on touching Jake's shoulders. He runs his palms across them, enjoying the warm firmness under his hands. He's pretty sure he could happily spend hours just touching Jake's warm body. "Ah. Well, no computers in the wizarding world. Apparently they go barmy and explode or something around magic. And the last time I saw one, there was no internet with it. So, you liked it?"

"The wizarding world?"

Harry laughs, "No, what you saw on the internet; the porn, Jake. Focus." He drags his nails lightly up Jake's stomach and smirks a bit when he feels Jake's muscles twitch and spasm deliciously as his breath hitches. "Was it informative or just entertaining?"

Jake can't think with Harry's tongue in his ear and he tells him so and nearly smacks himself when Harry removes it. "A little of both? I mean, I liked it," he says, sounding a bit breathless. He jerks and moans softly, unable to stop himself, when he feels Harry's teeth nip his ear lobe.

"I did tell you that pictures in the wizarding world move?" Harry asks, confusing Jake.

Jake nods, distractedly. "Yeah. And it's really cool," he murmurs, wondering why Harry's not using his tongue again. He likes that.

"Well, I got a very interesting book a while back. A gift from some trouble making twins. One of the few things they've ever given me that didn't explode or turn you colors," he says with a chuckle. "I think I should show it to you. It's very informative."

Jake nearly whines; why are they talking about books? "Uh, sure sure." The next moment, Harry has his wand out and mutters something that sounds like 'achoo manual'. A tingling thrill goes through him and then Harry tucks the wand away and he's thrilled when Harry goes back to using his tongue. Oh god, and teeth. He had no idea his neck is so sensitive.

He's squirming again, trying to move Harry away and get his pants to fit a bit more comfortably. He's shocked when Harry shifts and in one fluid move Harry's straddling his lap, his chest pressed firmly against his own. He squirms again, trying to keep his hips away from Harry's. "Jake!" Harry gasps and he wants to hide. Before he can apologize or forcibly remove the other man, Harry groans and practically attacks his mouth with his lips and tongue.

He moans into Harry's mouth, the kiss nearly stealing his breath as Harry lips slide warmly against his. He finds himself glad he's only ever kissed Harry; he can't imagine anyone else feeling so amazing and perfect.

"Don't be embarrassed," Harry murmurs against Jake's lips when he pulls back a bit when he realizes what Jake is doing. "It's perfectly natural, and oh fuck me, massive. See?"

To illustrate his point Harry twitches his hips and Jake feels Harry's erection press against him. His eyes go wide and he barely stifles a moan at the sensation. His hands circle Harry's hips but he doesn't move, torn between pulling Harry against him again or pushing him away. "Okay," he mumbles, still trying to squash the embarrassment. He knows Harry has a point.

"If you didn't like this—" Harry kisses him languidly for a moment before pulling back. "Or this—" Harry shifts his hips against Jake again, humming with satisfaction when Jake makes another quiet moan. "This would be a very awkward relationship."

Jake chuckles, his cheeks still warm, and slides his hands up to roam across Harry's back. He does like it, he's just never felt another guy's erection pressed against him before. It's absolutely thrilling and sexy and Jake wants to feel it again.

His fingers slip under Harry's shirt and he wants to moan at the feeling of Harry's soft, warm skin. Slowly, his fingers trail the bumps along Harry's spine and back down to stroke along the edge of his jeans. He enjoys the way Harry arches into him and makes a breathy little whiny moaning sound.

Before he's able to explore more (and get Harry to make more of those fantastically sexy noises) he hears something crashing through the trees. From the sound, it's coming right at them. Harry lifts his head and he barely has time to see his hand shoot out and he pulls it back holding a medium sized book.

"Aha!" Harry crows and shifts in Jake's lap so he's sitting further back on his thighs. "What?" he asks when he sees Jake blinking at him, looking stunned.

Jake blinks. He hadn't even reacted. He'd barely had time to do anything. "What the fuck? You've got some wicked reflexes. Is that the Quibbosh thing?"

"Quidditch," Harry corrects with a soft smile. "And sorta. I was good at it because of my reflexes. Now, this—" He holds up a book, "is informative _and_ entertaining."

Jake's eyes go wide when he sees the cover. He doesn't bother trying to pronounce the name, but he can see it says ' _Gay Sex Guide_ ' amongst the other odd words. The picture on the front of book is moving, showing two guys wearing long gowns and holding hands. "It's moving!" he points at the picture on the front of the book. The two wizards start unclasping their robes with identical saucy smiles as they look out at the viewer.

"Holy shit! Now I see what you mean." His face pales. "Oh my god. Are you telling me the _whole thing_ moves? Like diagrams and shit?"

Harry nods and makes a thoughtful sound as he opens the book, "Yes, that's what I'm telling you. Now, I'm not saying we're doing this now, and I won't pressure you but Merlin I hope it's soon," he briefly looks up and gives Jake a heated look. "So, if you can keep it hidden, you can take this with you. Look through it and... learn."

He flips through a few pages, his eyes bright and he lifts the book and shows Jake a page. "See? That'll be me," he says and points to the wizard in the bottom position, the man's face the picture of glazed bliss as he's slowly being fucked by the other wizard. Normally he wouldn't be so blunt, but he feels Jake needs it. And it's nice to be upfront about it; just in case.

Harry ignores Jake's choked groan and flips a few more pages to where it illustrates preparation spells. "Now, you can't use a wand, so you've gotta do this manually, which I prefer anyway. So don't forget to check this part out." Jake's eyes are huge and he gently cups his heated cheeks, bringing Jake's gaze to him. "Relax," he says and heaves a deep breath and nods his head so Jake will mimic him. "There is no rush and it's not like I won't help," he states when Jake looks at the book doubtfully.

He bites his lip, second guessing showing Jake the book. He was nervous his first time (having no knowledge about it at all) and it really helped him, so he hoped Jake would feel the same way. He didn't mean to overwhelm the poor man.

"Wow," Jake breathes after a long quiet moment. His eyes dart back to the first picture Harry showed him and he glances at Harry, biting his lip. "What if... Uh, what if I want to do that?"

"What?"

Jake points to the bottom wizard, now he's got his hands gripping the other wizards ass (he can see fingers sinking into the flesh and he shudders pleasantly) and his mouth is open and he's clearly shouting something. Or moaning loudly. "That. What if I want you to do that to me?"

"Sure," Harry smiles and rests a hand on Jake's thigh. "We can try it both ways. There's no rule, you know. I just prefer it." He shrugs. "I didn't mean to just assume you'd only want to top." He looks Jake over unashamedly, taking all of Jake in. "You just have this..." His hand waves in a circle before he waves it up and down over Jake, "Aura that radiates power." He doesn't want to confuse Jake by mentioning that some guys thinking it's less 'manly' to bottom so he keeps that to himself for now.

Jake frowns, "So do you," he says simply. "What does that have to do with whether I want to be... you know... or not?"

Harry laughs softly, "When you put it like that, you've got a very good point." Harry leans forward and kisses him, letting his teeth nip and tug at Jake's bottom lip lightly, before backing away slightly. "You're very smart, Jake. And yes, for the record, I have no problem fucking you." He bites his cheek to hide a smile when Jake flushes at the word 'fuck'. Maybe Jake is more of a romantic and would rather call it 'making love' or something?

"You don't mind if I borrow this?" Jake asks lifting the book, still unsure. He didn't know if there are rules against him having a magical book and when Harry shakes his head with a smile, Jake swallows heavily. "What if I can't get it right? This looks kinda complicated," he asks, knowing his eyes are wide even as they're practically riveted to another moving picture that looks like a tangle of limbs.

Harry snorts and shifts further into Jake's lap, his hands gliding up Jake's stomach and chest to rest on broad, firm shoulder's. "It's really not. We can forget positions and the magic part. Muggles do it that way all the time. And besides, I'm not fragile, you know. There's really not a lot you can get wrong," he assures. He smiles and strokes a calming hand down Jake's arms. "And, if noting else just enjoy the pictures at least, yeah?"

Jake hums thoughtfully as he closes the book with a soft ' _whump_ ' and shakes his head, "So crazy." He looks up to see Harry's face uncertain and he's biting his lip. "But wonderful." Harry snorts and rolls his eyes, but he's smiling softly. "I was thinking of the situation on the whole. I mean, we basically just met and wham! All of this." He shrugs. "I'm not complaining or anything!" he quickly adds. "Things would have changed even if I hadn't met you. But I did and now... Well, now there's nothing that's going to keep me away."

"I know what you mean," Harry says with a smile as he leans against Jake's chest with a sigh. "I should be used to weird things happening to me all the time. And I agree, this is a wonderful happening. It doesn't _feel_ fast, though, no matter how much my rational brain reminds me." He leans back suddenly and frowns slightly. "Did I hear right earlier when you said you haven't been with anyone? At all? Like, a total virgin?"

Jake flushes at the word 'virgin' but he nods. "Well, I didn't really spend a lot of time thinking about relationships like other kids." Harry makes a sound of understanding and Jake's arms wrap around him and squeeze as tightly as he dares. "And then there was Bella, which was confusing as fuck. I didn't love her and I didn't lust after her, but she had me distracted and all twisted around. I didn't even notice I'd been checking out guys until last summer when I saw some dude and I was ogling him. He had a really nice ass," he trails off and makes a soft _oomph_ noise when Harry's hand smacks his stomach lightly. "I sorta had a thing for Joe, too," he admits, his cheeks warm again. "Does it bother you?"

"That you thought Joe was fit? No, I agree."

"No, that I'm a total virgin, as you put it."

"Not at all. Its good to know, though. I don't want to make you uncomfortable or move too fast. You can tell me if you don't like something or want me to stop. I won't push."

Jake releases a breath he didn't realized he was holding and he feels something unclench in his chest. He feels his cheeks warm again when he feels his cock twitch and he murmurs, "You know, that just makes me want to molest you now."

"I know." Harry smirks as he lets his gaze wander over Jake's flushed face and neck. He felt the same way when his first boyfriend said the same thing to him.

Jake frowns slightly, "Is that the only reason you said it?"

Harry shakes his head and places his palm on Jake's chest, right over his heart. _Merlin, he's so warm_ , he muses. "No. I mean it. But I'm not going to pretend I didn't know what effect it would have. If you want to touch me, or something, just do it. Or ask. I can't imagine saying no to you," he admits, nearly purring the last part and thoroughly enjoying the way Jake's chest flushes and his lips part.

He leans in close, his lips just in front of Jake's and waiting for him to move. He smiles when he feels Jake's hand clamp gently, but firmly, on the back of his neck as Jake's lips press firmly against his. One of them groans and kiss deepena, Jake's tongue sliding lightly along the seam of his lips. He opens his mouth and wants to melt when he feels Jake's tongue slide against his own, massaging it with shy, uncertain movements.

Hands slide up into his hair and Harry sighs happily into Jake's mouth. "Perfect," he murmurs against Jake's lips when Jake pulls away a little.

"Yeah," Jake breathes, nodding slowly in agreement. Harry's eyes get darker and Jake raises his eyebrows.

"Jake, can I do something? Can I touch you?" Harry asks. When Jake nods, his hands trail over Jake's chest and sides. He's not sure he could ever tire of touching Jake's warm golden skin, especially when he can feel the solid flex of muscles under the soft, warm skin. His fingers flutter through the sparse dark hairs sprinkled over Jake's chest and skims over one pebbled nipple. He hums happily, enjoying how easily he affects Jake.

He slides his hands over Jake's quivering stomach, one blunt fingernail trailing through the line of dark hair that disappears into Jake's shorts. He rests one hand on Jake's thigh and the other hovers over the button of his jeans. He glances up at Jake through his lashes, hoping Jake will nod again. He grins and makes quick work of the button and zipper on Jake's jean shorts when the other man gives a jerky nod.

"Oh shit," Jake breathes when he feels Harry's warm hand slide down into his shorts and close around his cock. He wants to look around, make sure they're alone but all his attention is riveted to Harry's hand and the amazing sensations he's causing.

His legs fall open and he closes his mouth on a breathless pant. Fuck, that feels good; better than he ever imagined it would. "Harry," he finally chokes out. "Joe... Draco..."

Harry looks up and leans slightly to look around Jake to where Joe and Draco are. "Ah. Well, I'm not stopping now since you're letting me do this," he says. His free hand crosses his body awkwardly as he pulls his wand from his back pocket.

Jake doesn't hear him say anything but he feels a tingle from Harry's magic that makes him shiver pleasantly and his cock twitch with interest when everything goes quiet and fuzzy again.

"You felt that?" Harry asks, both of his brows nearly to his hairline. He looks down, watching pre-come bead tantalizingly.

Jake nods. "Uh huh," he manages, unable to get his throat to make real words. The insane rush of heat has already settled but he's still fighting the urge to thrust his hips up or ask Harry to continue. Harry's agile hand has pulled Jake's cock out of his shorts and his thumb is stroking along the underside, right by his balls. It's amazing.

Harry makes a noise in his throat as it twitches and he hears Jake gasp but any further thoughts are gone as he focuses back on the just-about-perfect cock in his hand. He's not aware he's been only staring, licking his lips occasionally, until Jake makes a soft whimpering noise. He feels a little bad for the tease and slowly draws his hand up.

"Oh god, Harry," Jake whines softly. "I need— I want to kiss you," he finally manages just before he grabs Harry by the back of the head and crashes his lips to the wizard's. Harry makes a pleased sound in the back of his throat, his hand slowly sliding up and down his cock a few times before he pulls away.

"You're a great kisser, Jake," Harry breathes. "But I need to do something else." He leans away and he can tell Jake wants to pull him back until he slides down Jake's legs to kneel between his spread thighs. He peeks up at Jake through his lashes then dart back down before he looks up again, his intention clear. "Can I?" he whispers.

Jake nods vigorously, trying to believe _this is actually happening_. His eyes go wide when Harry's tongue licks a warm, wet stripe up his cock from root to tip. His hips twitch involuntarily and he stills himself with an effort, afraid Harry will stop.

Harry pulls back slightly to stare at Jake's cock again; it's big but he's sure he can handle it. "Merlin, you're delicious," he murmurs as he slowly circles the leaking tip with his tongue a few times and is pleased when he hears a loud moan from above him. Jake's thigh twitches slightly as he takes as much of Jake as he can in his mouth, using his hand to stroke the rest. He moans softly and Jake's hips twitch again.

"Fuck," Jake moans when he feels Harry's hot, wet mouth close around him. He's never felt anything so amazing. Harry's tongue is pressing on the thick vein underneath and his eyes roll back in his head. He can't hold in his moan, he brings his hand up to cover his mouth. He never would have imagined he'd be here with Harry like this but he's thanking any and every deity for it when he feels the tip of his cock bumping into the back of Harry's throat.

Oh god, how can Harry _do_ that and not choke or gag? He makes a strangled moan and quickly bites the side of his hand to stifle a choked moan when he feels Harry's throat contract and slick tightness constricts around him.

Harry pulls away with a soft, wet soundand he looks up at Jake. "Don't hold back, Jake. I'd love to hear you. It lets me know you like it. No one else can hear you..." he says and sees Jake nod like a crazy puppet again. He hums with satisfaction and swallows Jake down again. Each time he pulls back, he's able to go a little deeper until his nose is nestled in wiry curls. The heady scent of Jake (like musky sunshine) fills his nose and he nearly comes in his pants.

He slides his hand from the base of Jake's cock and gently rolls the heavy balls underneath, his finger dragging softly against Jake's perineum. He almost wishes he had more hands; he needs to touch Jake _everywhere_. With a soft grunt, he slides his hand down his own pants so he can roughly fist himself. He moans with relief.

Jake forces his eyes open so he can focus on Harry again. He watches as the dark messy head bobs in his lap and he's amazed when he sees Harry's hand slip under his own waistband. He shocks himself with when a fierce desire spikes through him to have _his_ hand in Harry's pants, wrapped tight and stroking.

He wants to see it, feel it.

He wants to touch Harry, anywhere, but he doesn't want Harry to stop or get mad at him. His hands twitch at his his sides and any more indecision is solved when Harry's hand pops out of his pants (and _oh god_ it's all slippery and wet with his pre-come) a moment to grab Jake's and place it on his head.

Jake immediately buries his fingers in the dark strands and his hips buck when he feels Harry moan around his cock as his eyes slide shut. His eyes flick rapidly back and forth from watching his cock disappearing into Harry's mouth and the movement in the wizard's pants, wishing he could see _that_. He isn't sure why the sight of Harry jerking himself off is so erotic and sexy, but it is. His eyes roll back as his head flops backwards, heat pooling and rippling through his body in a crazy, hot spike.

"Oh my god," he moans loudly. "Harry, that's— I'm gonna— Oh _fuck_!" He doesn't get a chance to finish the warning but Harry's throat is already working and squeezing around him, swallowing his come in steady bursts. Harry pulls back slightly and he groans when he sees Harry deliberately let some fall on his tongue so he can taste it. He twitches as the white striped pink tongue tucks back inside the wizard's mouth with a loud, obscene humming moan.

Harry's back arches and his eyes close as he chokes out another moan, his face dropping to stifle the sound in Jake's thigh as he comes.

"That's fucking hot," Jake murmurs aloud, not realizing he spoke aloud until Harry's dazed eyes are meeting his. He blushes and absently wonders when he'll stop doing that. His gaze is riveted on Harry's flushed face and those darkened emerald eyes framed with sooty lashes. Oh god, he's even starting to think like a girl.

Harry gently tucks Jake back into his jeans and carefully zips him back up. He waves a hand absently over his own crotch and Jake's eyes go wide as the wet spot vanishes. Well, that's handy. "Glad you think so." Harry grins before his face falls into a soft frown.

Jake panics a moment when he hears a quiet 'Sorry'. "What? Why?" he asks.

He can't think straight, his brain is still foggy from the amazing orgasm. Oh god, Harry regrets it. He should have stopped him before he even licked him. Or pulled him off before he came. Or maybe Harry didn't want his hands all over him. Is he supposed to say 'thank you'?

"Shhh," Harry smiles softly and scoots himself forward so he's straddling Jake's lap again. "Stop thinking what you're thinking," he says in a gentle yet stern voice. "I only just realized that, well, it's rather sudden for me to be going down on you. I wasn't sure how comfortable you are with it," he admits with a sheepish smile. Jake didn't refuse him but he knows how hard rational thought can be when someone has their hand—or mouth— on your dick. It's nearly impossible.

Jake snorts with amusement and cups Harry's neck, his palm resting warmly on a thrumming pulse-point. "I'm completely comfortable with it. Matter of fact," he looks down and Harry narrows his eyes when he notices his neck and cheeks go violently red. "I'd like to do that to you. Some time. Later," he says quietly. His brain is still a little fuzzy, his gaze locked on Harry's shiny, slightly swollen lips.

Oh yeah, he wants to try that. Definitely.

Harry leans forward and kisses Jake softly. "Sure thing. Only if you want to. Later. Oh, and before you fret and worry, I loved when you finally put those hands on my head. Next time, I'll even let you direct me," he says, grinning. He hopes it doesn't bother Jake but he can adapt, if needed. He laughs softly when Jake nods blankly and finds himself looking forward to showing Jake lots of things.

Jake can only gape. Next time... He shivers lightly, a hot thrill going through him. "Uh, okay," he finally manages. "Can you, like, read my mind or something?" he asks, narrowing his eyes at Harry. He shifts awkwardly, praying that he isn't like that annoying vampire. He wouldn't exactly mind but it seems unfair it doesn't go both ways.

"No," Harry says with a soft chuckle, relief and amusement making him warm. "I just guessed that's what you were worrying about. It might as well have been written on your face, Jake," he says with a wink, cupping Jake's cheek. He snuggles in closer and tucks his face into the hollow of Jake's throat, smiling when Jake's arms wrap around him before he's even relaxed. After a few moments, Harry's muffled voice gets Jake's attention. "As much as I've love to sit here and cuddle with you, I'm hungry."

Jake starts and checks his watch. "Oh shit. It's nearly seven." He looks around and spots the pale head of Draco in the twilight and snorts. "I think Joe and Draco are making out."

"Probably," Harry laughs softly and shifts in Jake's lap. He looks over Jake's shoulder and his eyes go a bit wide. "Oh. Erm. We can wait a few minutes." He laughs softly and gently turns Jake's head back towards him. "Just trust me," he says with a wink and Jake nods as his cheeks heat again.


	4. Chapter 4

After a few days of Draco bugging and nagging, though he calls it 'reminding', Harry agrees to look for somewhere to live that wasn't the tiny bed and breakfast. Or as Draco has taken to call it: The Dreadful Nook.

He has to admit, he's looking forward to having his own room again. He idly looks around the car, no longer surprised Draco is driving, and wonders what sort of place they could agree upon. His style is so different than Draco's but he'll probably have to let the blonde have his way most of the time since he really doesn't care. He's not comfortable living by himself yet.

His thoughts are interrupted when he finally looks out the window and notices they are rather far from town, nearly in the middle of a forest, and he can't help but smile. Jake and Joe can run here without having to worry about being seen.

They turn into a pebbled driveway and Draco finally stops the car with a soft sound of triumph. (Draco usually makes some sort of triumphant or pleased sound when they get somewhere in one piece; Harry's quite sure it's because the blonde is surprised they aren't killed by the contraption.)

"We're here, Harry. Get out and look around!" Draco commands before he throws open the door and nearly runs towards the house.

Harry looks up at the house Draco has dragged him to see. Its all white, the only color being the bright blue door and black storm shutters around each window. And it's absolutely massive. There are ornately carved columns flanking the doors.

With a soft groan, he finally catches up with Draco at the front of the house by a large grey stone porch. Or maybe they call it some fancy name, like a receiving veranda, but he finds himself liking it either way. He sucks his teeth in annoyance when he looks at Draco's elated expression.

"Draco, I thought you said you could be understated," he finally manages, trying to ignore the huge expanse of yard surrounding the house but he can't help looking over the lush greenery.

Draco tilts his chin and scoffs, "This is understated, Potter. There are only six bedrooms and three stories."

He stresses each number as if it's offensive. Harry remembers the sheer size of Malfoy Manor; he's pretty sure that's exactly how Draco meant it.

Harry gives Draco a bland look. "Oh, my apologies. Only six bedrooms," he says and rolls his eyes, walking up to the front door. Well, entryway. He's sure you'd call something this big and ornate an entryway, not a door. "And you're sure we're allowed to wander through here without the estate agent?"

Draco looks down at his mobile (which fascinated him immediately when they wandered into the store and he was surprisingly quick in learning how to use it) to find the text message and nods. "Yes, I don't think she would have sent the key otherwise."

"You went into her office, flashed some money and took the key," Harry reminds with a snort and shakes his head.

Draco waves a hand. "Yes, well. She didn't stop me and she was very helpful with directions and telling me all sorts of information." He checks his pockets before he finally feels the key in his back pocket. "And besides, it's better we don't have some Muggle in the way. I want to make sure the basement can be used as a potions lab," he says and quickly unlocks the front door, stepping in and looking around.

"Wow," Harry says softly, wanting to gape and stare, but he keeps himself composed. The foyer is huge, but open and airy because it's practically surrounded in windows. He looks up, unsurprised to see an ornate crystal chandelier dangling over their heads. "Really, this is a little much, Draco. We'll come off as rich prats."

Draco scoffs, "In case you forgot, Potter, we _are_ rich prats." He wanders away with a smirk.

Harry hears him making his way across the marble floor. He frowns at Draco's back. He doesn't _want_ to look like his vault (or whatever the Muggle American equivalent is) was spilling over. He had hoped there wouldn't be such a large, high-priced property in Forks, knowing Draco would be drawn to it.

He sighs and starts exploring the house. He likes the open floor plan, each room hard to distinguish from the other without furniture to delineate and separate. He glances down and toes the hardwood floor absently with his trainer. They'll need carpets; he's had quite enough of cold wooden (or stone) floors.

He silently makes his way upstairs and his eyes go wide. The rooms are massive and each one has a fully appointed attached bathroom with a large communal bathroom at the very end of the hallway. He stares at the tub; it could hold at least six people and there are odd little holes in it. What kind of tub has holes in it?

The whole floor seems to be just bedrooms, otherwise. All six of them Harry thinks with a roll of his eyes. He honestly can't imagine ever needing so much room. His thoughts stray to his godson, Teddy, briefly and makes a mental note to owl Andromeda about Teddy coming for a visit. An embarrassed flush works up his face when he realizes he's not thought about Teddy since he left. Some godfather he's turning out to be. A smaller room, yet still bigger than his whole parlor at Grimmauld Place, looks like it's just waiting for a small child to make it his own.

With another sigh, he sets out to find Draco and his brows nearly disappear into his hairline when he finds Draco in the kitchen, exploring the Muggle appliances with an expression that Harry can only call pleased curiosity.

"Harry, what do all these bloody things do?" Draco demands as soon as he notices Harry standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He pokes a knob on the cook-top with a finger and stiffens, waiting to see if anything will happen.

Harry steps further in the kitchen, immediately liking the light, airy feel of the space. Everything is white or stainless steel, polished and shining. He points to everything he knows and explains the function to Draco, enjoying his grey eyes getting wider with each item.

He pulls out a drawer and frowns. "Not sure what this is for. I've never seen a cold box in a drawer. Looks really handy though," he says and eyes it, already imagining it full of various lagers and beer. Or wine. Draco always whines they don't get wine. Harry snickers at the thought a moment before wagging a finger at Draco. "And before you ask—no. No house elves." He ignores the pout that appears on Draco's face and walks over to a large window.

"Okay, it's nice," Harry says simply and he can _feel_ Draco smirking at his back. He lets loose a resigned sigh. "Call Angela and see when we can buy it and get settled in, yeah?"

The sentence is barely out before Draco (Harry swears he heard him making a 'whoop!' noise) has his mobile to his ear, asking for the estate agent as he leaves the room. Harry turns to look out the large window again and jumps with a muttered curse when he hears a loud bang right next to him.

A large barn owl is battering itself against the windows, golden eyes looking at him pleadingly. He carefully leans over and opens the window for the bird and raises an eyebrow when it settles on the counter after he takes the parchment and small parcel from its leg, which he dutifully and quietly holds out. Definitely not a post owl then, he muses with a grin.

"Ah," Harry says aloud, apparently to the owl since Draco has now wandered outside. "Hermione." He smiles fondly at her neat script. He looks over at the owl and slowly approaches it, carefully stroking the feathers along its front when it doesn't make a move to bite or fly off. "So, Mortimer. Did you like flying all the way from England?" he asks, chuckling when the owl gives him a rather disgruntled look and softly hoots at him.

He glances back down to the letter. He had written Hermione about a week after they first arrived in Forks and sent it through the Muggle post not having an owl (or all that willing to send some poor creature practically around the world). By the date, it took over a week to get there and another few days for Hermione to respond.

_Harry,_

_I'm so glad to finally hear from you! I couldn't believe it when the postmark was from America. Do you like it there? Have you found a nice wizarding town to settle in or are you somewhere around Muggles? I'm still getting over the shock of you not being here, you left so suddenly. With Malfoy. Honestly, Harry, you could have at least planned better. What are you going to do with Grimmauld Place? And Kreature?_

_The owl is Mortimer (Ron nearly pissed himself laughing at that name, still not sure why). He's yours now. I noticed you never bothered to replace Hedwig, so I took the liberty of getting you Mortimer. Doesn't Malfoy still have an owl? Honestly, I've lost count how many times that foul tempered bird bit me. Anyway, I included some owl treats, as I was sure you didn't have any. I do realize how strange it is to send an owl carrying his own food._

_Teddy sends his love and wants to visit soon. He's not gone a day without asking about 'unk Harry'. Andromeda owled me the other day asking after you. It sounded important, not just a social call, but I didn't have any way to contact you until I got Mortimer. So consider this me telling you to contact Andromeda as soon as you can. Please wait at least a day so Mortimer can rest. Or you can floo. Are you near a floo network? Do you remember her floo address? "Tonks and Plonks". Don't ask me why it's named that, I'm sure I don't want to know._

_I hope you're doing well and that you find what you were looking for, Harry._

_Take care,_

_Hermione._

Harry keeps his gaze on the letter, his emotions running rampant. He noticed that Hermione barely mentioned Draco. He feels guilt flash through him again at the mention of Teddy. He had told his godson he was going away, making empty offers for him to visit since he thought Teddy wouldn't remember him. He's only 4 (soon to be 5) and he barely saw the little boy; twice a month at best and that was if Andromeda was feeling generous.

He laughs softly at Hermione's caring, yet chiding and occasional downright bossy tone. He folds the letter and shoves it in his pocket before he heads out in search of Draco. "Oh, Mortimer," he smiles (OK, it is an odd name for an owl) as he jerks a thumb to the open window, "go hunt a bit, yeah?" The owl gives another soft hoot and disappears out the open window.

"Draco!" Hearing a distant answer, he goes in search, lost in thought. He's not sure how they're going to buy the house, they haven't exchanged nearly enough Galleons. Just as he's about to give up looking, he spots Draco outside leaning against the car with a large grin on his face. "Good news?"

Draco nods. "Brilliant news. I put in an offer and Angela is very confident we'll be accepted and living here within the week."

"A week?" Harry asks, shocked. He honestly expected it to be longer. The place is empty so they have to rush to get any furniture. Harry tries not to blush when he makes a mental note to get a bed first. A big bed. It's only natural to want a comfortable place to sleep, of course.

Draco nods. "Yes, I sort of made the offer cash." He says quickly and steps back a bit, just in case and puzzles at Harry's amused expression. He was sure Harry would rant about spending all that money.

"What did you offer?"

"Erm, three hundred fifty."

"Three hundred fifty? _Thousand_?" Ah, there's the rant, Draco smirks. "Is that too much? Draco, I don't even know what the exchange is or if I even have that much! Did you find out how we're going to exchange Galleons, in Gringott's, to American Muggle money?"

Draco scoffs and waves a hand. "Please, Potter. I can't imagine the exchange will bankrupt _millions_ of Galleons. The listing was around four hundred, so it's not too much. And yes, I did find out. We need to get an owl and finalize all the papers so we can transfer everything to some American wizarding bank. They'll gladly exchange it, I assure you. Oh, and I already phoned to get the fireplace connected to the floo network." He smirks at Harry's shocked expression. He had called the moment he hung up with Angela.

Harry hadn't even noticed the house had a fireplace. He scowls back at the huge white house; the damn fireplace is probably massive and made of marble or something else elegantly extreme. "Quite sure we'd get the place, hmm?" he mutters, leveling a look Draco.

Draco just shrugs and waves a hand over the property. "Of course. It's perfect." He pointedly looks to the dense forest a few yards from the house for a moment. "Not to mention plenty of room should we have visitors." From the frosty tone and slight sneer, Harry knows he isn't referring to the werewolves.

Harry sighs, and resists rolling his eyes. Hermione is really the only other person he talks to anymore and he's sure she won't come around the world to visit any time soon. "I highly doubt anyone will be visiting. Oh! Maybe Teddy." He pulls the parchment from his pocket and hands it to Draco, waiting while he reads it before continuing. "We've got an owl now. And it's handy we're connecting the fireplace. I want to get in touch with Andromeda as soon as I can. Is it OK if Teddy visits?" he asks, biting his lip.

"Of course," Draco says immediately, nodding absently, still reading, "He's your godson and my cousin... or something," he waves a hand, absently. "Though, if we had a house elf I won't have to demand he only stay in his room."

Harry snorts. "Nice try, but no. I'm not interested in Kreature coming anywhere near me and we're really not in any position to be having house elves about anyway. This whole area is Muggle."

"Fine, Potter," Draco sighs dramatically and hands the letter back to Harry. "Ask Miss-Know-It-All if she knows any good household charms." At Harry's shocked expression he points a finger at him, poking him lightly in the chest. "Well, I never learned any and you always did things the Muggle way. I'm certainly not cleaning this thing without magic," he says with a jerk of his head at the house behind them.

He turns on his heel and makes his way to the car, sliding in behind the driver's side. "Shake it! We're due to meet Angela to sign the papers for the house!" Draco hollers out the window when Harry continues to stand looking at the large white house.

~oOo~

Harry can't remember ever being so bored. Who enjoys looking at money? They had finally found the American wizarding bank, also run by goblins (somehow even _more_ foul tempered), and easily got their accounts changed over from Gringott's and an obscene amount of Galleons exchanged into Muggle American money.

He pockets a charmed leather wallet and a velvet bag; both connected to his account so he didn't have to visit the bank whenever he wanted money. He fingers an odd plastic card, the thin plastic apparently was more useful and accepted in Muggle devices. Even after shrinking everything and shoving it as far into his pocket as he could, he feels uncomfortable walking around with that much money.

Draco is driving them back to the bed and breakfast, his eyes bright as he talks about the house.

"And really, how cool would it be to walk in there with all that money in a silver suitcase? I'd love to see their faces! Just walk in, place it on the table and click that sucker open and watch their faces get all shocked and greedy." Draco laughs (well more like cackles like a cartoon villain) at the prospect and Harry finds himself smiling.

Draco probably doesn't even realize his posh words are peppered with American slang and he's sounding suspiciously like Seth when he's excited. They had gotten through quite a few Muggle movies during their stay, as well. Draco being especially drawn to anything with explosions or shady characters. 'Those bright kid movies' as Draco calls the cartoon movies are another favorite. Most tend to be fantastical and Harry is reminded of the wizarding world and is curiously surprised he doesn't feel a pang of regret or homesickness.

As they near the bed and breakfast, he glances at the clock on the dashboard. "Hey, just head to Beth's. The guys will be there in five minutes."

Draco nods, his cheeks pink, and Harry hides a smirk. He's still surprised at how much Draco allows his feelings about (for?) Joe to show. He hasn't seen Draco blush, or smile, so much in his memory of knowing Draco. He only has to mention Joe and Draco gets all pink and flustered.

They head into the diner, Harry sees three dark heads and smiles. Seth has been harassing the others for leaving him behind so often. Now, at least once a week, Seth comes with them when they all go to eat. Jake didn't say, but Harry is pretty sure he finds it awkward to be close to him with Seth around, even though Seth never bats an eye or makes a comment about it.

As they're all waiting for their food, Seth looks between Harry and Draco. "How come you guys always eat out? How come you don't cook?" Not that he can blame them. Seth hates to cook, he only tried once and it wasn't even edible. He had tried and he hadn't been able to get the taste out of his mouth for days. Stupid hyper wolf senses.

"Well the kitchen in our room can barely make toast let alone real food," Harry says with a chuckle. "There isn't a stove, just a little hotplate thing and I think there might be a pan lurking under the sink the size of a small mug," he says with a shrug. They haven't even bothered to find a place for decent take-away since they've arrived, happy to just come to Beth's. The menu is varied enough, he hasn't feel the need to expand yet.

Seth makes an understanding noise before he turns to Jake, "Why not go to your house then?" He doesn't bother asking Joe; his dad is a total dick and doesn't like any of the guys coming over, not caring they're pack. "Your kitchen ain't tiny and I bet your dad is wondering why you ain't eating at home anymore."

Jake snorts his soda and gives Harry a sheepish smile. He hadn't been comfortable telling his dad about everything yet and he doesn't want Harry or Draco to visit until he has. Dropping that kinda shock on his dad at once would probably kill him. He hopes Harry can understand that, even if he feels like a giant wuss.

"I, uh, haven't told dad about... this." He generally avoids his dad these days; he makes him something to eat whenever he needs to and hides in the garage or spends time with Harry.

"Why not, man?" Seth asks, his normally happy face pinched into a frown. "You gotta tell him. He'll be cool about it," he assures, laying a comforting hand on Jake's arm, hoping it was manly and that Harry didn't punch him for touching Jake. The guy still scares him a bit when he gets pissed off and he never wants to give him a reason to point his wand at him after Jake told him a little bit of Harry's past. Thankfully, the wizard doesn't seem the possessive type and his touch isn't met with anything but an understanding smile.

Jake shakes his head but says, "Yeah, I know. Now I'm all freaked out because if he is cool about it, he'll be pissed I waited so long to tell him. You know how my dad is. All 'you can tell me anything, Jacob' and all that." Jake slumps his shoulders and leans into Harry when he feels his arm wrap around his waist.

"How about we all go there after we eat? Dad will be be up watching the game." He feels Harry nod and hears everyone else agree. "Just, uh, how about you guys meet us there and wait outside a minute?" He feels Harry nod again and make a soft snorting laugh. "Hey, better safe than sorry, you know?" he says, chuckling weakly.

Seth grins and slaps Jake on the back of the head. "It's only your dad, man. Relax and don't make Harry feel like you're embarrassed."

"I'm not—!" Jake blinks. "No! It's not that at all. Harry, you know that's not it, right?" he asks in a rush. He's confused when Harry chuckles softly.

Harry runs a hand along Jake's arm, "Of course, Jake. I never thought it for a second," he says, and he really hadn't. If it weren't for Jake's vehemence and quick denial he probably would have worried over it... for a moment.

"Okay," Jake breathes. "It'll be cool. No problem," he says to himself as he finishes eating. Even when he's nervous he can still eat, so he's not about to let anything go to waste. He hears Harry snicker next to him and ignores him so he can focus on finishing the huge slice of cheesecake Beth forced on him. He forks some of the cherries onto Harry's plate, noting Harry's pleased grin or soft hums of pleasure as he sucks the fruit into his mouth. He forces himself not to watch, refusing to get turned-on at a very inconvenient moment.

They all finish and head out, Harry heads for Draco's car but pauses when he feels Jake's hand around his wrist.

"Come with me?" Jake asks, nodding his head at his car and Harry smiles and changes course.

Seth is practically bouncing in a circle around Draco and Joe as he follows them, chatting the whole way about some girl in his class he's convinced is in love with him, sliding in the backseat without waiting for an invitation.

Joe split off with Draco as soon as he saw Harry go with Jake. He didn't care; he loves spending any time he can with Draco, even if Seth is chattering away in the backseat like a toddler on crack and ruining any chance for one-on-one time.

Seth is still chattering away, not noticing when Draco scowls and pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. Why can't the little werewolf just run home? With a resigned sigh, Draco turns to Joe after they're all in and he starts the car. "Alright handsome, where we going?"

They slowly make their way to Jake's house, Harry lost in thought as he fingers the parchment in his pocket. Remus finally owled him but didn't have any information about the kind of werewolves Jake described to him.

A soft cough jerks Harry out of his thoughts and he gives Jake a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Remember my friend I told you about? The werewolf?" Jake nods. "Well, I finally heard from him and he's at a complete loss. He's never heard of the kind of werewolves you guys are. I was really hoping he'd have some answers, Jake." He huffs and stares out the window.

The only useful thing Remus said was about the sparks that Jake caused when he touched his wand. It didn't surprise Harry when it basically meant their magic was compatible. Jake isn't magical, not really, but he has some sort of natural magical energy going on. Remus could only guess about his Animagus theory; like Harry thought, they weren't wizards so they couldn't be Animagi, per se, but he was at a loss how else to explain it.

He looks back at Jake with a small smile. "Well, now you've just got one more reason to talk to your dad. You need to talk to the elders and figure some things out."

Jake nods and tries not to grimace. "Yeah. Even if they don't want to, I'm an Alpha, so..." he doesn't want to say he can make them do it, but he will if he's forced to. The elders aren't exactly controlled by the Alpha, but they still have to respect him.

"Have you seen any of the... Well, I guess old pack is the only way to say it?" Harry asks quietly.

"No," Jake growls. "And I don't want to. There's a good chance I'll just snap and attack Sam." He shrugs unapologetically when Harry blinks at him. "It's an Alpha thing. No matter what Sam thinks, I'm the stronger Alpha. He wouldn't really stand a chance." He might be bragging a little bit, the urge to impress hard to suppress, but he's not exaggerating.

Harry whistles and slides closer in his seat, resting his hand lightly on Jake's knee. "I gotta say, it's a turn on to hear you talk like that," he says lowly, snickering when Jake's leg twitches and his hand covers Harry's a moment later. "I know, I know. I'll be good. I don't want you crashing this thing." With a small squeeze, he lets go of Jake's knee but turns his hand so he can keep a hold of Jake's.

"Well, not to sound like some worried mum, but in that case you should stay away from him. I really don't know much about healing and I would hate to see you get hurt."

Jake glances sideways at Harry and wishes he could hug him right now. Harry's face is sad, almost lost in shadows and Jake just knows he's thinking of all the people he's seen injured or dead. All he can do is agree, so he does. "Alright. I never planned on seeking him out, you know. If I never see that asshole again, it'll be too soon. Same for the other guys. They just walked off with Sam, happy to leave me behind."

He kind of understood but he'd hoped at least Quil or Embry would've stuck by him, they'd been friends for as long as he could remember. Seth is the youngest, and often teased as the weakest and he had no problem standing up to Sam for Jake. He doesn't realize he's squeezing Harry's hand in his own, lost in his anger, until he feels Harry squeeze back. Hard.

"Sorry," he murmurs, lifting their joined hands to kiss the reddened knuckles gently. "I was just thinking and as you can see, it still pisses me off. I just—Ugh! Useless," he mutters, huffing.

Harry sits higher in his seat, feeling a perfect opportunity to share something with Jake. He swallows a few times, unsure how Jake will react. "What exactly did he mean by that? You aren't useless, Jake." He doesn't add 'I can think of many uses for you'. Jake doesn't need to be distracted right now.

"Well, he meant that I can't have kids. Add to the pack, you know? Since I imprinted on a guy, which I'm totally cool with," Jake quickly adds, kissing Harry's hand again, making him chuckle. "I obviously can't have kids. Which, I mean, isn't exactly true. I read that gay guys have kids all the time. I mean, it's with a surrogate, but still. I guess because it's not with a chick who can make super wolf babies, it doesn't count." Harry laughs, thoroughly amused at Jake's wording. "So, yeah. That's what he meant."

"Jake," Harry starts before taking a deep breath. Merlin, this is going to be awkward, _if_ Jake even believes him. Jake peeks over at him but keeps quiet, sensing something serious and not wanting to interrupt. "What would you say if I told you that isn't true?"

Jake frowns and gives Harry another sideways glance. "If _what_ isn't true?"

"That you couldn't have kids. With your imprint."

Jake turns to give Harry a quick but startled look. "But you're my imprint, so..." he trails off, his eyes going wide and he darts another look at Harry. "Are you trying to tell me dudes, well wizards, can have kids?" he blurts out after a few moment thought.

It sorta made sense... _if_ a guy can have a baby? Where does it grow? How many can they have? Was it a one time thing? Or, fuck; how does it get out? His mouth and throat won't work, he isn't asking anything any of the questions swirling around in his head; he's just making weird little choked, squeaking noises and trying to eat Harry's lips.

Harry pulls back with a breathless laugh. "Seriously," he says with a nod. "I will find out any answers you want," he promises and leans forward, placing a soft kiss on Jake's lips. "I guess that means you like the idea, yeah?"

Jake nods, his throat still not letting words out. He makes a noise that sounds kind of like "Guh!" and Harry grins before kissing him again. "Does it happen a lot? Guys having kids, I mean?" he finally manages after Harry's lips and tongue have worked some kind of magic to relax him.

"I don't know," Harry shrugs. "Even when I was there, I didn't pay much attention to the goings on of the wizarding world. I didn't grow up there and by the time I was there, I was kind of distracted. I'll ask Draco, yeah? If he doesn't know, maybe I can ask Remus." When Jake's face flushes, he laughs softly running a hand down Jake's arm. "Remus won't be too shocked and I think he'll be quite proud to meet you." He looks off a moment before his eyes light up. "Oh! And there's Teddy. My godson. He'll be five. I haven't been able to write them, but I hope he'll be visiting soon."

Jake smiles, his mind distracted with images of dancing naked with Harry during a full moon, as his thumb slides along Harry's bottom lip. "Sure sure. Sounds good." He glances behind him to the houses in the distance and he sighs, settling back in the driver's seat. "Any other surprises?" he asks, one side of his mouth up in a half-smile.

When Harry shakes his head with a snort, he eases back onto the road. Harry's eyes flick around to the houses lining the road. They're all small but well maintained and neat. The car slows and they're in front of a larger house and Harry can just make out a large detached garage just past the walkway.

"Well, here it is. Home sweet home," Jake mutters as he parks behind Draco's car and shuts off the car. "Okay. Uh, wait out here with Draco. I'll let you know if, uh, _when_ you can come in. Okay?"

Harry nods and pulls Jake in close, placing a quick reassuring kiss on his lips. "Don't worry so much, it'll be fine." He smiles and runs a hand down Jake's chest softly.

Jake just smiles at him and nods once before he turns and heads into the house, his posture slumped and looking like a kicked puppy. Joe walks past to follow Jake, clapping Harry on the shoulder briefly as he passes.

Seth is sitting on the hood of Draco's car, his face serious. "His dad better not be an ass about this. Jake doesn't need that shit."

"Yeah," Harry agrees softly. Then he snorts, and shakes his head. "Seth, aren't you a little young to curse so much?"

Seth grins. "Fuck no," he says cheerfully and howls with laughter, his arms hugging himself for a moment as he enjoys his own joke. "But seriously. Nah. I only talk like this around the guys. My mom would kill me if she heard me saying half the shit I do. Leah—that's my sister— she's worse than me." He waggles his eyebrows at their shocked looks. "I know, hard to imagine right?"

Draco laughs. "Not really. I went to school with a kid that made up the most creative curses. I think 'fuck flap' was my favorite." He snorts at the memory even if he hadn't a clue what Seamus meant by it. "Er, not that you should repeat that. Or tell anyone where you heard it." Draco darts a nervous glance to the house, expecting some authority figure to burst out and hex him for his inappropriate language.

Seth is too busy howling with laughter again, muttering 'fuck flap' on occasion and going into a new fit of giggles every time he mutters it. His eyes are watering when he finally calms down. "I could definitely hang with that dude. Or bloke? That's what you guys say, right? Bloke?" At Draco's nod, Seth grins. "Bloke," he repeats.

Silence, and Seth's occasional snorting giggles, drops over the small group as they each take turns casting nervous glances at the house. There's a light on in what Harry assumes is the kitchen and the soft blue glow of a telly flickering is the only other light source. He's chewing on a thumbnail, worrying it down to the quick as he waits.

"Seth," he asks quietly, startling everyone with his voice after the dead silence. "It's a good sign it's so quiet, right? That means no yelling?" He glances at Draco, mouthing 'privacy charm?' and he breathes out a relived breath when Draco shakes his head 'no', glad they aren't hearing a false silence.

"Yeah. I think so," Seth says and looks thoughtfully at the house before he turns to Harry, "Billy, Jake's dad, isn't much for being quiet when he's all riled up. So, if he's not yelling it's either okay or really really bad. Like, we should go rescue Jake, kinda bad." Harry twitches and Seth just manages to move fast enough to clamp a hand over his elbow. "Calm down. He isn't going to hurt Jake. He's really not that kinda guy, I was only saying. Giving all the options," he says, his face almost cheerful in the gloom.

Harry relaxes but his hand slides to his wand anyway. He doesn't want to, but he'll hex anyone that tries to hurt Jake. Even his own father.

A muffled shout has Harry bolting into the house, a gaping Seth still sitting on the car to look after the now open front door in confused shock. He certainly wasn't fast enough that time. He quickly scrambles off the car, praying he doesn't walk into a blood bath and stops short as he steps into the kitchen door.

Jake is pinned against the wall with Harry standing in front of him, his wand drawn and pointed at a stunned Billy. Seth shudders at the dark, murderous look on Harry's face. Joe is similarly pinning Draco, but the blonde is fighting him, his wand somehow aimed steadily at Billy as well. Then everything goes eerily still.

"Uhh, s'up guys?" Seth asks, breaking the tense silence and he wants to smack himself when he hears his voice come out all squeaky.

Billy's gaze moves to Seth. "I have no idea. I was talking with Jacob and well, maybe I shouldn't have tried to hug him. He's a grown man, I know. He started yelling at me to stop, like it's some sort of crime for me to hug my boy and this one—" He slowly points a shaky hand at Harry. Seth looks and is relieved to see Harry has put away his wand and is relaxing his body, a sheepish look crawling onto his face. "Runs in, grabs Jake and points something at me."

Billy swallows thickly, he isn't all that worried about the stick (or maybe some sort of thin knife?) the kid pointed at him but the look in his eyes showed clear intent, and ability, to do serious damage.

Seth looks to Draco, the blonde is already calm and subtly pressed against Joe, who has wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist.

Billy starts when he follows his gaze and sees Draco and Joe. "I didn't even see you boys come in." He sends Harry a shrewd look before his face breaks into a smile and his hand raises off the armrest of his wheelchair. "So. You must be Harry." He grins when Harry's eyes widen a bit and he sends a questioning glance to Jake. "Yeah, he told me. All of it."

Harry shuffles the few feet closer and gently shakes Billy's hand, his other rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry about that. I thought..." he trails off, his eyes on the floor. "I thought Jake was in trouble." He can't help but feel like an utter bastard, pointing his wand at a Muggle. In a wheelchair. The man's calm acceptance is only making Harry feel worse.

Billy sits back in his chair, pursing his lips as he gives Harry a long measuring look. "Son, I ain't sure whether I should be proud that you're coming in here to help my boy or insulted you'd think I'd hurt my own son."

Harry shifts awkwardly, sending a pleading glance at Jake. "I'm sorry, sir," he repeats. "I didn't mean any disrespect, really." He huffs a breath out, frustrated no one else is helping. He looks at Billy again and is relieved the older man isn't looking at him with anything other than a bit of respect and, shockingly, a little affection. "I hate to say it, but I've known plenty of parents that've hurt their own kids. So, I didn't think about that part." He looks at Jake again. "I was really only thinking about making sure he was okay."

Billy's head tilts back and he laughs, his hands on his stomach. "Son, you've seen him, right?" he waves a still shaky hand in Jake's direction. "He can take care of himself." He sends a warm look at his son. "Of course, it never hurts having help."

Harry nods eagerly, "Yes, sir." He feels Jake move behind him and a warm, steady hand rests on the back of his neck, rubbing softly. He closes his eyes for a moment and sends Jake a miserable look. "I'm sorry I almost hexed your dad," he murmurs quietly when Jake presses closer. He feels Jake chuckle and rest his chin on his shoulder as he slides a hand from his neck to his hip. He elbows him softly in the stomach. "It's not funny, Jake. I was a breath away from it when Seth came in," he admits and swallows heavily, not willing to add that it would've been a painful one.

"Is this a normal imprint thing?" Harry asks, turning his head just enough to look at Jake.

"What? Super protectiveness?" Harry nods, ignoring the 'super' part. He just knows Jake is imagining him in ridiculous tights and a cape right now. "I would say so. I mean, I've only met two other couples like this and the chicks, uh, I mean imprintees," he corrects hastily when Harry glares at him, "can be pretty vicious when they felt their man was threatened."

He squeezes the arm around Harry. "I think it's going to be worse for you since you already do that sorta thing," he says and grins, ignoring Harry's indignant scoff. "For future reference you can't hex my dad, Joe or Seth. Well, you can hex Seth if he's being annoying." He laughs when he remembers when Harry had him hoisted in the air by an ankle and giggling madly for a solid minute. "Anyone else, they deserve it if they cross you. Or me."

A loud throat clearing noise attracts their attention and both of them flush when they see Billy looking at them. Jake carefully disentangles himself from Harry, and steps back, giving him one last squeeze before he lets go but takes his hand and leads him to the table. At some point his dad has made coffee, so he hands Harry a mug and perches on the counter. Draco is carefully blowing on his and taking small sips, his grey eyes darting around the room. Joe has one foot perched on the wall behind him, his arms folded as he looks around the room; his attention mostly on Draco.

Harry takes a large gulp of his coffee and licks a stray drop from his lip. "Jake, did you get a chance to ask your dad anything before I broke in here like a madman?"

"Yeah," Billy chuckles and nods. "He was asking some things but I don't have any answers for you boys. He said you were some sort of magician?" he asks, his eyebrow raised and a smile twitching on his lips.

Harry smiles and shakes his head, "No, wizard." He arches a brow at Jake, he didn't think Jake would tell his dad that much about him. "I do magic, but not like you see at birthday parties or on the telly," he explains after a moment, unsure how without taking his wand out and waving it about. He smiles again, hoping he didn't come off as condescending. He'd already insulted Jake's dad enough for one night, thankyouverymuch.

"I see," Billy nods thoughtfully, sipping his coffee. "I guess that explains that stick you were waving at me," he says, nodding at Harry's pocket. "I won't be a jackass and try to make you prove it. Jacob believes you, so I'm sold." Harry nods once in thanks. "Besides, it's not like I'm not used to the supernatural. My son and his friends turn into wolves, for Christ's sake."

He laughs again before he shakes his head once and drains his mug of coffee. "Well, you boys should come over for supper one night. Maybe I'll see Jacob around more often," he gives Jake a shrewd look before breaking out in a grin. "Just bring the groceries on occasion and you can visit as often as you'd like. Oh, and beer. I can't promise to always be a welcoming host if you aren't carrying beer with you." With that, Billy bids them all a good night and wheels out of the room.

"Holy shit!" Seth exclaims in a whispered yell once he hears Billy's bedroom door close. "I thought there was going to be some major fighting when I walked in." He's practically hopping on the balls of his feet for a minute before he hops onto the counter. "Harry, man, I repeat: you are one scary bloke." He grins. "Thanks for not turning Billy into a rat or blowing his balls off."

Harry chuckles. "I've never thought to removing someone bullocks before," he rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I've heard it threatened enough, though." Draco laughs and he wonders if the blonde knows a hex or two that'll do something nasty to one's bits. He resists the urge to protectively cup himself at the thought. He passes a slightly shaky hand through his already messy hair. "I can't believe I did that, though." He gives Jake another apologetic look, still feeling like a massive arse for his behavior earlier.

Draco is the first to speak, "Harry, don't kill yourself about it. It was purely reflex. Billy is fine and I think he even respects you for it, for some fucked up reason." He crosses the small kitchen to place a hand on Harry's shoulder, "You're the only one not letting this go." Harry looks up and Draco isn't surprised to see anguish still swirling in his eyes. "I can berate you all night, if needs must," he finally offers and smirks when Harry shakes his head with a snort. "Right. All is well." He nods briskly and returns to stand next to Joe, immediately relaxing against his side.

Seth jumps off the counter. "Well, didn't I say Billy would be cool?" He grins and everyone rolls their eyes and groans at him.

~oOo~

"You told him that?" Draco blinks at Harry a moment when they're left alone in the kitchen. "Well, what did he say?"

Harry pauses to think. "Well, he kept making sure it was true. Then he said 'guh!' So. A positive reaction, yeah?"

Draco smirks and raises a hand, to stop Harry from telling more. He recognizes that glazed look in those green eyes that always precedes kissing or some other debauched activities. "Sure. I'll send Mortimer with a note to Mother, have her send the book I read about it in. Are you really going to do something like that, though?" he asks, curious.

He's already sure of the answer. Harry's always wanted a family and the poor bastard deserves one now that no one is out to kill him at every turn or on each holiday. He's surprised when Harry only shrugs, idly toying with the hem of his t-shirt.

"I don't really know. I mean, of course I do but I pretty much gave up the idea of having my own family when I knew I fancied blokes," Harry explains. He doesn't have to mention the loss of the Weasleys was especially hard because of that. A family of his own seems too good to be true.

Draco may not have liked the red haired oafs, but he used to at least respect them for adopting Harry. Once they as good as turned their back on them, he had to use for them. He snorts and waves a hand in the air, "You're still an idiot, Potter." He ignores the glare Harry sends him. "Being gay doesn't mean giving up on having kids. Merlin, what the fuck did those Muggles teach you?" he mutters under his breath, and wants to wince at his callous question knowing they barely taught him a damn thing.

"Well, now you know. So, use this knowledge wisely," he says importantly and gets up, looking for the telly remote. "I'll let you know the moment Mother sends the book so don't gnaw your thumb off," he says with a smirk and mutters a short 'aha!' when he finally finds the remote wedged in the sofa cushion. "I wish I could just use my wand," he mutters, squinting at the small buttons on the remote. Jake might have a bigger telly and the remote is bigger but all the buttons are annoyingly small. He just ends up pressing random buttons, making a pleased sound when the channel finally changes.

Harry absently watches Draco glare at the telly, his own thoughts muddled and centered on Jake. He gets up with a soft sigh and joins Draco watching the telly; hopefully something mindless will help him gather his thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry is sitting at the small table in Jake's kitchen, his chin resting on his hand, waiting for Jake to get back. Draco ditched him practically the moment the door closed behind Jake and Joe, the pair leaving to see Seth home. Draco is currently watching one of his favorite shows on Billy's widescreen telly, completely ignoring him now that he figured out the remote.

He sighs, lost in thought. He wants to talk to Jake but never seems to get the chance to be alone with him often these days. He doesn't mind talking in front of Draco or Joe; they practically shared everything now as it is. Seth is hanging around more, and Jake doesn't seem comfortable talking about certain things around him.

He's starting to think he'll never get his hands, or mouth, on Jake again; or more importantly discuss his (slightly awkward) feelings.

The front door quickly opening jerks him from his thoughts and he smiles as Jake walks back in followed closely by Joe, whose eyes are wide and sort of glassy.

"Sorry, had to make sure Seth got home okay," Jake says as soon as he sees Harry. "He thinks he's a big bad wolf, but I don't want any of the other guys trying to get to him when I'm not around," he adds, sounding apologetic before flopping down into a chair next to Harry. He presses a soft kiss to Harry's lips. The corner of his mouth twitches as he watches Joe walk past them to sit next to Draco with barely a glance at either of them.

Jake turns back to Harry, the corner of his mouth lifting in a lopsided smile. "Joe is totally ready to pounce on Draco," he whispers. At Harry's questioning glance he just wags a finger between himself and Joe, "Wolf pack thing I told you about. It's really embarrassing sometimes, you can't really hide anything from the guys. Horrible." He thinks back to when he was in Sam's pack and shudders lightly.

"As usual, Joe was having naughty thoughts about blondie, and—What?" he asks when he notices Harry looking at him. Harry's amused face distracts him from finishing. Joe caught some of the conversation he'd had with Harry earlier and his eyes had gone huge; he's pretty sure Joe hasn't blinked since.

Harry smirks, unable to help it. He has a rough idea what Jake means and he feels sympathy for the group. It can't be all good to hear and see everything the pack is thinking. "I'm assuming it's goes both ways?" Jake nods, a blush creeping up his cheeks now. "Ah. Well. That nicely leads me to something I was thinking about—" Before he can finish his thought, Jake jumps up from the table.

"You know, it's getting late!" Jake licks his lips nervously and tries to ignore Harry's confused frown. He has an idea what Harry is thinking and he's not sure how to go about talking about it. It feels too private to talk about in the kitchen, where anyone can walk in and interrupt (or overhear). "You guys, uhm, shouldn't be driving back this late. So, maybe you can crash here?" he blurts out before he can lose his nerve and he sits back down, flopping heavily and making the chair wobble slightly.

There, he's asked Harry to stay over. That really wasn't so hard and he's not sure why he had been so edgy about it.

Harry snorts softly at Jake's obvious nerves. "I'll see if Draco is okay with that." He smiles, getting up and letting his hand slide across Jake's shoulders as he goes. He rubs gently when he feels Jake relax. "Even if he wants to drive back, I'll stay," he murmurs, leaning down a bit to speak in Jake's ear. Joe is already grinning at Harry when he walks over and he has to remind himself that the werewolves have freakishly keen hearing, even when they aren't wolves.

Draco is shaking his head, "Potter, like you even have to ask." He smirks and kicks his feet out to rest across Joe's lap, making a show of getting comfortable. "I've already been informed that we're staying over." He surreptitiously fingers his wand, wondering if Jake or his father will squawk should he transfigure the sofa larger or into a bed. He's already feeling a spring or two poking his arse and he really doesn't look forward to trying to sleep on it.

"Well, in that case." Harry sticks out his tongue, ignoring a rude hand gesture from Draco, and wanders back to Jake. He takes out his wand and gives it a flick, giving them some privacy.

"Two things," he says, sitting back down, holding up two fingers. "One, we found a house." Jake smiles and makes a soft whooping noise as he pulls Harry off of the chair and into his lap. They both ignore the chair as it groans in protest from the added weight as he shifts so he's straddling Jake's lap more comfortably and leans in and kisses Jake quickly. "Once we drove over here, I realized it's not far from you. We only just put in an offer, so if we get it, we'll need some muscle to help us move in."

He grins and wraps a hand around Jake's bicep, fluttering his lashes dramatically and laughing when Jake flexes it. "It's really big, too," he breathes leaning in close, his hand sliding from Jake's arm to caress his chest. "Lots of room for guests." He kisses Jake again, parting his lips when he feels Jake's tongue glide across them.

Harry moans softly, enjoying how thoroughly Jake kisses him. It makes his whole body tingle. Jake's hands always end up resting in his hair, or on the back of his neck, his fingers sliding through the dark strands. Slowly he pulls back, regretfully breaking the kiss. "And, two; I'd rather talk about that later. Privately."

Jake sends a questioning look towards the privacy spell he can feel buzzing around them. Harry waves a hand absently towards it. "If we're loud enough, it'll pop since I didn't make it all that strong. Plus, I didn't bother to distort us, just blocked the sound." Jake grins and Harry shifts in his lap, siting further back on his thighs. "I did want to ask about what happened... in the woods. I wanted to make sure you were alright..." he trails off uncertainly, worrying his lip with his teeth. He can't imagine Jake not being OK about it, but he can't help feel he might have pushed too soon.

"Mhm," Jake nods, his eyes darkening with the memory. "Oh yeah. Completely OK. Matter of fact," he leans forward and looks to see where Draco and Joe are. "I, uh, was hoping we could continue. Doing that," he says, trying not to blush. He mostly wants to call Harry insane; what guy wouldn't enjoy a stellar blowjob by a hot guy?

Harry smiles and leans back, "I didn't mean we need to jump in, I was just making sure you weren't all weird about it. I'll respect whatever pace you're comfortable with. We haven't really been able to talk about things and I was worried." He sighs, "I know it sounds lame, but I just wanted to make sure. Oh! Did you look though that book?"

"God, yes," Jake breathes. "I read it cover to cover." He nods, various erotic images flashing through his memory. "Some pages more than others. I was wondering something... Could I let Joe borrow it?"

He couldn't keep the images out of his head, so he had inadvertently inundated Joe with the moving images and he had anxiously asked if he could look at it, too. He was pretty sure Joe was more anxious about it being Harry's wizard book than embarrassment over the content. Joe mentioned he'd had some experience (causing Jake to nearly twitch with curiosity) and said it never hurt to learn more.

Plus, the moving pictures wizards have are fascinating. Even more so when it was it was practically porn disguised as learning. Yeah, he totally agreed with both of those.

Harry leans forward to stifle his laugh against Jake's chest. "How about I give it to Draco and let him do what he wants with it? He's kinda odd about stuff like that, I really don't want to get in the middle of that." He grins, "But it would be fun to see him get all hot and bothered. He is usually so posh and proper." Jake snickers in agreement along with him. "Bit of a prude, really," he adds, amused. They break out into quiet laughter, trying to stifle the sound in the other's neck. He calms first and slowly leans back.

"So, is it bed time or are we going to watch the telly with the other two?" Harry barely finishes the sentence before Jake is standing, his hands gripping him under his thighs to secure him, picking him up as he stands. He wraps his legs around Jake's waist. He cancels the privacy charm with a wave of his hand and calls a 'Good night' to Draco and Joe over Jake's shoulder as they make their way down the hallway. "Are you going to, I don't know, help Joe settle in?" he asks, curious.

Jake shakes his head and chuckles softly. Joe practically lives here, he really doesn't need his help. "Nah, he's slept over lots of times. I don't have to tuck him in."

~oOo~

Draco waves at Jake and Harry's backs as they walk off down the hallway. It's sort of odd to see the werewolf carrying Harry like a small child. Alright, not a small child. You don't fondle a child's arse as you carry them, he muses with a smirk. It's nice to see someone taking care of Harry for a change, though.

He shakes his head, mentally cursing himself for the Hufflepuff thoughts. As soon as he hears a door close, he lifts his feet off Joe's lap and slides closer, snuggling into his side. He smiles when Joe just lifts his arm and drapes it over his shoulder, shivering lightly when he feels Joe take a deep breath knowing the werewolf is smelling him. He'll probably never admit it, but the glazed look Joe gets when he sniffs him sends a curious mix of desire and affection through him.

A comfortable silence falls between them as they watch the television for awhile until Draco notices Joe's foot twitching. He tries to ignore it, but Joe isn't normally twitchy; he's usually calm and laid back. The rare times he's unsettled, Draco has noticed, he has something on his mind.

"Something on your mind?" he asks finally, after watching the twitching foot for a full 3 minutes, not moving from where he's comfortably pressed along Joe to look up and rest his cheek on Joe's chest.

Joe coughs lightly and his fingers start to tap on his thigh causing Draco to frown slightly. "Sorta," he finally answers, earning a soft scoff from Draco. "You know about the pack mind thing, right?" Draco just nods, not wanting to speak yet to let Joe sort his thoughts. Joe pauses a moment, unsure how to continue. He's never really felt awkward around Draco before, even when he says things Joe doesn't understand—which is more often than he likes to admit or is used to.

After the nightmarish summer he went through a few years ago when he learned he transformed into a wolf, few things surprise him anymore. Draco being a real, honest to god wizard... well, he _was_ surprised but he didn't let it dazzle him for long and he quickly got used to the whole thing. Draco even showed him things he could do with his wand; Draco would give him a small sheepish smile (his pale cheeks an adorable light pink that never failed to arouse him and make him flush with warmth) as he waved his wand in some complicated manner.

Joe was impressed with the wide a range of spells, or charms as Draco calls them at times, the blonde could perform. There's a spell for practically everything you can imagine. So, when he had gotten a glimpse earlier of Harry telling Jake about wizards being able to have kids together, he was shocked for the first time in a long time. He now understands how they were able to imprint on another guy and it made it all the more amazing. At the time, he wondered if Sam still would have done what he did to Jake if he had known but decided he didn't care. He's pleased with how things worked out; the smaller pack is closer and he no longer feels an outcast or unwanted.

He glances down at Draco with a soft smile on his face, as Draco watches TV with only half his attention as he waits patiently for Joe to get on with it. He doesn't realize he's been sitting there quietly, his fingers absently running through Draco's pale, soft hair long enough to have the show change. He sighs softly as the silky strands glide through his fingers; he could do that for hours and he loves that Draco doesn't complain.

"Joe?" Draco finally asks, tilting his head slightly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Joe answers quickly. "Nothing's wrong." He slides his fingers down to massage the nape of Draco's neck. He smiles when he feels Draco sigh and lean into him heavily, seeking more contact. "I'm still working it out in my mind," he murmurs and pauses to gather his thoughts. "Jake found something out from Harry and I saw it. You know, when we were wolves." Draco nods, knowing what he means. He isn't surprised Draco easily grasped the whole concept, calling it something like 'ligitimints' and relaying the feeling and idea perfectly.

He pauses again, pursing his lips slightly. "I really don't want it to sound like I don't want to tell you, but it's so weird; I'm still trying to understand it," he mutters with a soft huff, agitated, and wishing for probably the first time he's smarter or maybe as glib as Draco. His fingers tap against his thigh again, stopping when Draco's hand covers them gently.

Draco hums in understanding. "Well, if it's something Harry said, maybe you could ask him to help explain it. Or I could, depending what it is." He shifts, facing Joe. He's trying to keep numerous ideas from flooding his mind as he takes in Joe's strained face. He can't imagine what's bothering Joe and he's starting to get a little concerned. Can Joe rethink their relationship and leave? The very idea makes his stomach swoop slickly and he leans in closer.

Joe sucks his teeth and shakes his head once. "See, that's what's annoying me. I could easily ask you since you're the one that told Harry." He sighs and lets his head drop back to the sofa cushion, avoiding Draco's concerned silver-grey eyes. He rubs a hand up and down Draco's arm, sensing the blonde needs the contact.

"Okay, he told Jake about wizards being able to have kids. Jake was thrilled, once he believed it," he says and flops his head to the side, looking at Draco again, his dark eyes warm. "I don't think he'll tell Harry for awhile, but he's already planning on a litter of kids," he says with a grin when Draco's eyes go wide and he snorts with amusement. "Yeah, so I'm still getting used to that whole thing."

"I see," Draco answers carefully. He can only imagine how unbelievable both men found the news and he feels a surge of affection for Joe, proud at how calmly he's taking the information. "I told him that awhile ago and I didn't think he believed me." At Joe's startled twitch, Draco lays a calming hand on his chest. "I wasn't having him on. He's just not all that aware of all things wizard," he says quietly, not having to explain why. Joe nods his understanding, eyebrows lightly pinched with concern for Harry. "I already asked my mum to send me a book. Actually, I asked her to send anything we had on the subject, so we'll see how much homework we'll have," he says blandly and smirks when Joe rolls his eyes.

"Great, homework," Joe says in a sarcastic tone. "But I'm looking forward to knowing more about it," he adds quietly but still hoping to end the conversation there. Draco seems to sense that, choosing then to slide fully onto his lap and end any further ideas of conversation with a heated kiss. Draco leans back after a moment and he's lost in his heated gaze. He barely notices when the sofa softens and elongates into a bed under his ass, his attention otherwise occupied with touching Draco wherever he can.

~oOo~

"Draco is probably going to turn your sofa into a massive four poster bed. Is that going to freak out your dad?" Harry asks, his teeth scraping lightly on his top lip. Jake's hands are cupping his arse now, absently kneading as he carries him towards his room, making it hard to concentrate on something as trivial as Draco Malfoy warping Muggle furniture.

He doesn't even think it odd that Jake's carrying him; he likes it. A lot. Jake makes it look effortless, too, which is a bit of a turn-on.

Jake pauses and looks towards the door of his dad's room before continuing on to his room. "Probably not. I mean, he was really cool about everything."

He can feel his cheeks get warm again and he wants to hide. "He said he was, uh, not surprised. When I told him I was gay, I mean," he says with a soft groan, burying his face in Harry's warm neck. "It was so awkward, Harry! He was smirking at me and all like 'I'd already figured that, Jacob'. It would have been nice if he had told _me_ , would have saved me some needless stressing," he grumbles.

Harry laughs softly, and nods. He can completely agree with that.

"Then I tell him I imprinted on you, and that just sorta turned into me telling him some things about you, about being a wizard. I hope that was OK?" Jake pulls back to look at Harry, lip caught in his teeth. He knows it's a secret, but his dad knows about the pack and pretty much all the wolf secrets; hopefully this isn't any different and he didn't just ruin any trust Harry has in him. He kicks the door closed and carefully flops onto his bed, pinning Harry under him.

Harry smiles and shrugs lightly. "Yeah, I guess it's OK," he finally says. Even if it isn't, he couldn't do anything about it; he's pants at _Obliviate_ spells. "It's starting to feel like everyone knows." He laughs, shaking his head at Jake's expression. "It's OK though," he soothes, cupping Jake's face and using his thumb to pull Jake's bottom lip free when his teeth clamp harder on his poor lip. "It's perfectly OK for the people that know to know. They're your family," he says and pauses, not sure how to continue.

He has gotten the impression that when a werewolf imprints, it was for life. Like a wizarding bonding. One of the many things he wants to talk about and he gives Jake a searching look to see if he's ready for it. Jake's face is open and his attention is fully on him, making him shiver slightly with pleasure. Ready or not, he's doing it since they have a moment alone. "And I get the feeling they're like my family too, so, it's alright."

Jake's face lights up. "Exactly." He beams happily at Harry, happy beyond words Harry looks relieved and happy as well. He doesn't know what he'd do if Harry hated the idea.

Harry smiles and slides out from under Jake to sit next to him on the bed. He closes his eyes and feels around blindly for Jake's hand, gripping it tightly when he finds it. "Yeah, but that's the other thing I wanted to talk about. Give me a minute," he mutters, feeling Jake's intense gaze tingle his skin. He tries to collect his thoughts and nearly grins when he realizes Jake tends to understand his ranting no matter how convoluted it gets.

"I never really had a family before, you've already heard most of that so I really don't want to go over it again." At Harry's sad but terse tone Jake slowly nods; he's not sure he can hear it all again and keep calm anyway. "When I did finally find something like a family, it was... well, I guess the best term for it was 'conditional', but it was still wonderful to finally feel like I was loved and fit in somewhere people didn't care about my name or story. Even if it was only for a short while."

Harry stares off at the wall for a moment, enjoying the way Jake's thumb is softly caressing his palm in random, but soothing patterns. "I didn't have a mum, or someone that took care of me like a mum would. Missus Weasley was the closest I've ever come, really. Draco is pretty close, now that I think about it," he says with a chuckle. He hadn't noticed before how much Draco takes care of him. It's mutual but still... amusing.

He looks over to Jake with a soft smile. He's long ago had to stop reassuring Jake of his and Draco's platonic relationship; once Jake saw how Draco looked at Joe (and Joe's firm assurance of the imprinting), he doesn't even twitch at the mention of his relationship with Draco.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Draco can be really supportive and caring," Harry says, smiling fondly. "He shows it badly at times, especially to people that don't know him. He just comes off as a prat most of the time. But he's very loyal and loving to those he's close to."

"If I hadn't seen him doing it myself, I'd never believe you," Jake says with a grin. "Oh, and Seth thinks that's one of the coolest words, by the way. Prat," he clarifies when Harry lifts a questioning eyebrow. He murmurs a soft 'sorry' for interrupting and squeezes Harry's hand so he'll continue.

Harry sighs and flops backwards, half-way laying on the bed, his knees and feet hanging over the side and resting on the carpet. Jake doesn't wait for an invitation and flops down beside him, rolling slightly to wrap an arm around his waist. He smiles, thrilled Jake is no longer shy or worried about initiating contact. He leans into Jake's hold, humming contentedly.

"I know, and I'm really glad you get along with him. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't," he says softly, blinking rapidly, realizing his eyes feel hot and prickly. "Anyway, so with all that, _this_ whole thing with you is leaving me feeling lost." He closes his eyes again. "It's easy to be attracted to you," he smiles when Jake squeezes him tightly in silent agreement. "But everything else I feel is new territory and I don't know what to do with it."

Jake waits a moment to see if Harry with continue, but he's still laying there looking miserable with his eyes closed. "Like what?" he finally asks, feeling truly confused. He doesn't want to see Harry miserable, he wants him to be happy. Something clenches unpleasantly when he thinks Harry isn't happy, that he might be feeling trapped or uncomfortable with him.

Harry makes a short, soft huffing noise. "I'm not sure, am I?" he mumbles.

"Describe it," Jake offers softly. Harry lays there quietly for so long he thinks he either fell asleep or he's refusing to answer. He finally hears Harry speaking so quietly, he's thankful for his keen hearing. He pulls Harry closer, stroking a hand along his arm and hip.

Harry's voice is a hushed whisper, he can't seem to speak any louder. "I think about you practically all the time. I don't think it's obsessive, but who knows?" he shrugs with a quiet chuckle. "I've never, physically, felt a need for someone before. My whole body feels warm when I see you, like it's a rushing flush or something." He pauses; it's not exactly right but it's as close as he can describe at the moment. It's almost like a magical rush mixed with Muggle electricity.

"It's like... a pleasant fire when you touch me, even just something like holding my hand. I find you adorable but also sexy as fuck. I want to do so many things to you but I also feel just as happy to just sit next to you holding your hand. Merlin, Jake, it's just so intense sometimes!"

Jake makes a quiet noise of agreement; Harry's described it perfectly. "Well, does it help to know it's the same for me?" he asks in a near whisper. He also has a nearly uncontrollable urge to protect and do whatever he can to make Harry smile.

Harry only takes a moment to think. "Yeah, it actually does." He turns his head, looking into Jake's eyes, lifting a hand to cup Jake's cheek. "And I really like when you take care of me, Jake," he admits quietly. He's still getting used to that feeling. Somehow he doesn't feel weak or incapable when he allows Jake to do things for him and it's a very curious feeling. "I've never wanted someone to do that before," he says, dropping his hand to lean down and snuggle against Jake, resting his cheek against Jake's chest.

"It was so natural to just _be_ a protector, not to need or want one. I still want to protect you, obviously, but..." He smiles when he feels Jake's arm tighten again. "It's really a nice feeling, honestly, but so... foreign to me. So, it's all so strange to have one person evoke so _many_ feelings from me. Especially when they should feel conflicting, you know?"

He doesn't want to say Jake almost feels like a mum at times, well the caring protective feeling he would get from a mum, not sure if he'd be offended or not. He doesn't think Jake would take it wrong, but he knows he wouldn't be able to explain it properly.

Jake keeps quiet, unsure how to respond or even if he could; he feels hot and choked up. He leans up on his elbow, looking down at Harry. He smiles; Harry looks perfect. He must have said that out loud because Harry gives him a shy smile, his cheeks pinking adorably. Harry always gets shy when he compliments him. Draco mentioned, with a slightly guilty expression, that Harry was sorely lacking in being complimented and he agrees. Harry should hear them a lot; he makes a mental note to do it often. His startlingly green eyes are mesmerizing and he can usually tell what Harry's feeling when he looks at them. He's never seen such a color and he's sure he could look at them forever. Harry's blush deepens and he realizes he's speaking aloud again.

"I mean it, Harry," he murmurs, brushing a dark clump of strands out of Harry's eyes before sliding down to cup his warm cheek. His thumb strokes gently along the heated skin. "You're beautiful," he murmurs and blushes fiercely himself, unable to believe he's blurted that out. "In a very manly way, of course," he clarifies with a groan, suddenly feeling stupid and inadequate.

Jake doesn't want Harry to think he's anything less than a sexy man. Because he is. "I wish I had a better word, but it's the only one I can think of," he shrugs awkwardly but refuses to try to take back what he said.

His gaze drops to Harry's lips next. He thinks they're the sexiest lips he's ever seen, especially since they fit against his perfectly. He watches, enraptured, as they part and Harry's pink tongue darts out to wet them as Harry's eyes darken.

Jake takes in Harry's dilated pupils and realizes Harry is aroused. He wonders what those eyes would look like when Harry comes. Last time they had been closed, and he had been a little distracted to look and notice. He doesn't bother blushing when he realizes he has said _that_ out loud. Harry makes a needy little noise deep in his throat and he groans as his cock twitches in response.

"So sexy," Jake murmurs, taking in the sight below him.

"Jake," Harry breathes. He doesn't say anything else, but grabs Jake's hand and places it on his waist. He bites his lip, hoping Jake will go further on his own. Jake's hand slowly slides up his side, making his eyes flutter and drift shut. Jake's very warm, large hand slides across his chest and down to trace along his stomach.

He can feel his stomach muscles quivering and twitching like mad and wants to grin when Jake grunts softly at the reaction. "Jake," he murmurs again, arching his hips slightly, silently asking for Jake to touch him. He'll beg if needs be. His hands fumble at the hem of Jake's t-shirt and Jake is quick to take it off, picking him up enough to remove his as well.

Neither can suppress the groan at the skin on skin contact.

"Oh god, Harry, I want to touch you," Jake says, leaning down to bury his face in Harry's neck. He knows Harry doesn't need him to ask, especially when he feels Harry's hips shift. His eyes travel down and he groans softly when he can clearly see Harry's erection straining against his zipper. He slides his fingers down Harry's stomach, fluttering softly down the material stretched over the bulge. Harry twitches, making that noise again and he puts more pressure into his caresses, palming the warm bulge firmly.

He traces the outline of Harry's cock through his pants, enjoying the hot feel of it. His mouth waters as he imagines having it in his mouth. "Fuck," he breathes, his hands are fumbling and shaking as he pops the button on Harry's jeans and slides the zipper down carefully.

He licks his lips as he stares at the growing wet spot on Harry's tight grey boxer briefs, the outline of him clearly visible now through the thin fabric. He palms Harry through the soft cotton again and darts his eyes up when Harry hisses in a harsh breath through clenched teeth.

"It's good," Harry whispers, smiling at Jake. "Oh Merlin, Jake. Brilliant," he encourages when Jake falters slightly. "Brilliant," he says again as Jake continues exploring and touching with his index finger. It's amazing but he wants more; more pressure, more friction. He doesn't want to push Jake, though. He'll gladly suffer the torture of Jake slowly exploring.

Jake is entranced at the shape of Harry through the thin fabric. He wants to see it, so he slowly raises his hands to the elastic waistband and Harry immediately lifts his hips, encouraging him to slide them down. He awkwardly slides the jeans down first, not used to removing pants from this angle and ignores Harry's soft snicker as he gives up with them still around Harry's knees and focuses on lowering the boxer briefs, eagerly awaiting his prize. He stops, his eyes riveted to Harry's erection as it springs up and Harry moans softly with relief.

He's seen a dick before; his own, obviously and occasional glimpses of the guys as they'd get dressed in the woods but he's never looked, really _looked,_ at one so up close before. Harry's is similar enough to his but different at the same time and he leans back to study it. He runs a finger slowly along the thick vein running under it, aware of (and noting for later) Harry's quiet moan as his legs spread wider, giving him more room. His fingers spread and glide through the soft nest of dark curls at the base before dropping to caress and fondle Harry's balls. He gingerly wraps a hand around Harry's leaking, slightly flushed cock, admiring the contrast of their coloring.

"Wow," Jake murmurs. He nearly blushes at the realization that he's _enjoying_ this. A lot.

Harry writhes with a soft gasping sound, his movements restricted by Jake's hand on his hip and Jake realizes he's only been staring, muttering random words of admiration and affection. He looks up and sees the blush running from Harry's face all the way to his chest. He wants to touch Harry, like Harry did to him. There really isn't a part on the wizard he doesn't want to explore with his hands and mouth.

He startles when Harry chokes out "Merlin, _yes_ , you can fucking touch me, Jake! At this point, I'll hex you if you don't!"

Jake frowns at his brain's apparent lack of ability to _not_ let his mouth blurt things out without him realizing it. He smirks at Harry's threat of a hex before a mental image of Harry fiercely pointing his wand at him pops into his mind. He groans when he, amazingly, gets harder at the thought. His hand is still wrapped around Harry, not moving, and with a slight shake of his shoulders he clears his mind of lingering doubts and slowly slides his hand up.

Harry's soft moan immediately soothes any nerves and Jake continues, speeding his movements a bit. He thinks of what he likes and twists his wrist slightly before he slides it back down. He swipes his thumb across Harry's shiny tip as he brings his hand back up. He looks up; Harry's eyes are closed and his bottom lip is clamped firmly in his teeth. He feels himself twitch with interest again and licks his lips.

"C'mon, let me hear you," Jake says, thinking of what Harry had told him before. Harry's reactions aren't exactly subtle, but he's too quiet. He likes the moans and little noises Harry makes, each one sings through him and turns him on.

"Oh," Harry gasps. His eyes flutter open and he wordlessly reaches for his jeans, finding his wand in the fabric bunched at his knees. Jake doesn't even flinch as he feels the tingle of his magic wash over him when he points his wand at the door, putting up a silencing charm on the already locked door. He quickly drops the wand, and waves his hand in a 'go on' gesture at Jake as he re-settles himself.

Jake feels his nerves coming back, his hand loosening from its grip around Harry. His eyes flutter closed when he feels Harry's hand rest under his chin and pull slightly. He follows the unspoken command and slides up Harry's body and kisses Harry, deepening the kiss when Harry opens up to him and slides warm, slim fingers through his shaggy hair.

He wants to purr when he feels Harry's hand slide around the back of his neck, his fingers brushing along the sensitive, heated skin, making him shiver lightly. His lips and tongue glide and slide along Harry's and he doesn't even worry he's doing it wrong or his lack of skill when Harry moans softly into his mouth and arches up against him. He works his hand under Harry's shoulders, pressing their bodies together, needing to be closer to him.

"Jake," Harry manages, his breath coming in short pants, pulling back slightly. He pauses, not sure how to continue. He doesn't have to and he nearly sighs in relief when he feels Jake's body shift, his leg sliding up giving him more room to work his hand between their bodies again. Jake's broad chest is pressing against his and he slides his hands over the firm warm flesh.

He pauses at pebbled dark nipples and runs his palms over them, pinching them lightly when Jake jerks and gasps. He moves his hands to glide across Jake's shoulder blades. Jake shivers at the contact, his eyes slide closed as he groans. Harry shifts his hips, pressing himself into Jake and he moans softly when Jake groans louder, his hand wrapping around him again.

Jake nips down Harry's neck, thrilling at the response he gets. He spends a few moments kissing around the soft skin, reveling in each hitched breath and soft gasp as he roams and explores. "Tell me what to do," he says quietly, raising his voice slightly at the end to make it a timid question. When Harry shakes his head, he frowns and waits until Harry's eyes open again, nearly startling him with the intense dark gaze. "Why not?" he nearly whines. He doesn't want to mess up or do it wrong. He wants Harry to melt and see stars.

Harry chuckles, resisting the urge to pinch Jake's cheek. Now is not the time to call the man adorable. "There's not much you can do wrong," he says quietly, sliding a hand up to cup Jake's cheek. When Jake goes to protest again, he puts a finger against his lips. "Jake, seriously. Stop worrying about it. We can stop," he says and bites his lip, hoping Jake won't but meaning what he said.s

"Uh, no," Jake says with a soft huff. "No, that's not what I meant at all. I _want_ to, I just haven't—" He stops abruptly and shakes his head. Harry hasn't complained or hated a single thing he's done so far, so he should just stop thinking and _do_. He releases a tense breath. "Fuck. Sorry. Will you at least tell me if I hurt you or something?" he murmurs quietly, gently stroking along Harry's ribs, splaying his hands and marveling at how much skin he can cover.

Harry nods, even though he's sure Jake wouldn't hurt him. "Bet your fine arse I will," he says with a playful smirk. He winds his arms around Jake, pressing himself along his body, closing his eyes at the feeling of contentment that floods through him as he's pressed along Jake's firm warmth. "I'm just as happy laying here like this, too," he murmurs softly, angling his head so he's brushing Jake's ear. Jake shudders almost violently as his tongue slides along his earlobe before he nips it sharply with his teeth. "Really."

"Is this another one of those things you say knowing it makes me want to molest you?" Jake finally manages. Harry laughs, pressing his face into his neck for a moment before he pulls back, smirking but shaking his head. "OK, because, it does," he says earnestly, kissing Harry again.

His mind nearly goes blank as he feels Harry moving against him, his wicked lips and teeth nibbling his own lightly. He pulls away from the kiss with a gasp when Harry's hands slip down to cup his ass. He regrets the way Harry is pinned to the bed only because he can't return the touch, his hands almost tingling with the urge.

Jake arches into Harry, realizing he's still got his hand on Harry's cock and he slowly begins to move again. He finds himself enjoying the feel of the solid, velvety warmth sliding through his fist almost as much as the noises coming from Harry. Harry's louder than before, apparently confident in his silencing spell. His own cock is throbbing by the time Harry is steadily bucking his hips into Jake's fist, soft curses and gasping moans filling the small room.

The softly spoken "Jake" sets his whole body tingling and heat pooling low. He feels Harry's body arch and shudder under him before his hand is covered in sticky, wet warmth. "Oh god," he breathes as his own orgasm rushes through him, taking him by surprise. He's never come without touching himself before and it leaves him feeling boneless and dazed, heavy and tingly with pleasure.

Harry's body is still tingling, his limbs feeling heavy and splayed limply under Jake. He's pinned pleasantly and he chuckles at Jake's dazed expression. He mutters a gentle cleaning spell over himself, shivering as it tingles over his crotch from himself and his thigh from Jake. He doesn't miss when Jake's eyelids flutter, a guttural moan sounding, as his magic passes over him.

Not for the first time, he wonders how and why Jake is so compatible with his magic. He can barely summon the energy, but he kicks his pants all the way off and shifts as best he can to lay fully on the bed. He tightens his arms around Jake, silently encouraging him to stay where he is.

~oOo~

A soft knock rouses Harry and he cracks an eye open. He smiles at the feel of the very warm body pressed tightly against him. Jake's arm is still wrapped around him and one of his legs is tangled between Harry's; he feels pleasantly trapped, enveloped in warmth and comfort. Jake jerks when he hears the soft knock come again and he nearly falls off of the bed when Jake sits bolt upright. He chuckles when Jake pulls him close again, squeezing him with an apologetic look before burying his face back into the pillow.

"What?" Harry calls at the door, his voice thick with sleep, when Jake doesn't answer. He keeps his tone as polite as he can, just in case it's Jake's dad. He has no desire to tell Billy to fuck off.

Without an answer, the door opens revealing Draco's slightly mussed blonde head. "Morning!" he chirps, ignoring Harry's disgruntled groan. "Jake, your dad said to get up. He's arranged a meeting with your pack elders and you need to be there in an hour." Without further explanation, Draco ducks out of the crack in the door and they hear him practically running back down the hallway.

"Fuck," Jake mutters, sitting on the bed and not moving for a full minute before he jumps up, headed for the door. "I didn't think he'd do that already. Old bastard," he grumbles. He turns to Harry, a regretful look on his face. "Are you okay with staying here?" he asks, nibbling the inside of his cheek, hoping Harry understands why he'd leave him here.

Harry nods, his hand combing through his hair and trying to tame it. Jake smiles, it's only messier and he's across the room, kneeling on the bed and his hands are combing through the dark locks before he was even aware of it. "Yeah, of course. I don't look forward to meeting them all just yet," Harry says, leaning into Jake's touch with a soft hum.

"OK," Jake sighs in relief, kissing Harry quickly before jumping off the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower. Uh, I guess do whatever." He blushes, trying to keep his eyes off Harry laying in his bed. His dark hair is messier than normal and sticking up in nearly every direction. Harry's green eyes are heavy with sleep, his skin flushed with warmth from sleeping.

He jerks the door open and hurries into the bathroom before he can pounce on Harry. The sheet had fallen and Jake nearly groaned when all he saw was skin, beautiful pale skin and a tantalizing line of dark hair disappearing under the sheet. He glares down at his erection, cursing the lack of time to be able to have a slow jerk off session and turns the shower on, keeping the water cool hoping it'll help shrink his hard-on.

Harry blinks sleepily at the closed door before shrugging and flopping back down on the bed, fully intent on going back to sleep. He nearly squeaks in surprise when Draco lands on him, having quietly entered the room and jumped on the bed. "Draco!" he whines. "'M sleepin'," he mumbles.

Draco's fingers poke and prod Harry's ribs and shoulder, attempting to annoy him awake. "Harry," he elongates the 'a', turning Harry's name into a long whiny sound. "Everyone else is up, so you're not allowed to sleep in." He starts shaking Harry by the shoulder when the wizard just grunts and buries his face in the pillow.

"Draco," Harry starts, his voice muffled by the pillow, "get off me before I hex your bullocks off and attach them to your ears." He's satisfied when he hears Draco give an indignant huff and tilts his head enough to see the blonde is cupping his crotch protectively as he eases down the bed, away from him.

He rolls over, blinking owlishly at Draco and trying to get his eyes to focus. "What time is it, anyway?" he asks, looking for his glasses.

Draco grumbles, still cupping his crotch and mutters, "Just after eight." He sneers lightly. "Apparently they get up early around here." His sneer melts into a smile, remembering the fantastic way Joe woke him up this morning. If he made alarms that could give head as good as Joe, he'd wake up at dawn happily and be richer than Midas.

"Billy was able to talk with the elders and get them to meet with Jake. I don't think Sam told them a fucking thing, judging by their reaction," he mutters with a slight frown, remembering the colorful language Billy used at one point. "He seemed to think you should go, but that it wasn't a good idea."

Harry nods with a shrug, "I guess I should go because I'm with Jake. But I didn't mind not going," he informs Draco when it looks like he was going to protest. Instead, Draco nods satisfied and slides off the bed.

"There's breakfast. I've never seen so much bacon," Draco says with a shake of his head. Just as he leaves the room, he pops back in and points a finger at Harry. "Get out of bed." He waves his wand once, in a vaguely threatening manner, before disappearing again.

Harry groans, remembering the time Draco hexed him out of bed with ice cold water dumping on his face, and rolls out of Jake's bed. He grins while he bends over to get his clothes from the floor. He carefully aims a cleaning charm on them and slowly dresses, hoping Jake will come back before he's dressed. Sadly, he's dressed and sitting on Jake's bed looking through an old text book when Jake comes back in, a towel wrapped around his hips.

His attention immediately focus on Jake, tracking a bead of water that drips from his hair, sliding down his chest and stomach to be absorbed by the towel. Harry licks his lips and squashes the urge to pounce on the wet, naked werewolf. Now isn't the time...

Jake glances at Harry and smiles at him as he drops his towel and casually opens his drawers for a pair of underwear. He shivers lightly, feeling Harry's gaze on his naked ass like a physical weight. He turns slightly, quirking a brow at Harry. Harry's gaze travels up his body and he smirks, not an ounce of shame for being caught looking. "You know—" Jake says as he slides his underwear on, "It's kinda rude to perv on someone, especially when their back is turned."

Harry scoffs, shamelessly eyeing the way Jake's underwear fits him. "I can not be held responsible. You dropped the towel. I would argue it's kind of rude _not_ to admire," he counters, getting off the bed to wrap himself around Jake. He slides his hands up and down Jake's bare, warm back before resting on the swell of his arse.

"Not to mention, the back is a great view," he says and quickly pinches the firm flesh in his hands. "You didn't seem uncomfortable with me staring." He slides a finger around Jake's side, lightly tracing between the defined muscles of Jake's stomach. He peeks up at Jake through his fringe, watching as Jake shakes his head slowly, his breathing already speeding up.

"No, never had a problem being naked," Jake breathes. He barely wore clothes until he was 6 when had to for school and since he found out he was a werewolf, he went everywhere practically naked. Oddly, he only seems to feel shy when he's about to be intimate with Harry. He's slowly starting to not bother, but he's still getting used to someone _looking_ at him.

Harry hums. He leans in, intent on kissing Jake but curses just as his lips touch Jake's, a blonde blur invades his peripheral. He leans around Jake to look behind him at the bedroom door, a fierce scowl on his face. "Draco! For fuck's sake. I'm coming," he hisses as he glares at the intrusive blonde.

Draco snorts, his expression only showing amusement. "Uh huh, don't doubt it." He eyes Jake pointedly before leaving the room again, his soft laughter drifting down the hallway.

Harry groans and rests his forehead on Jake's chest. "Sorry, he's got horrible timing." He casts one last lingering look over Jake as he steps to the door. "I'll let you finish getting dressed." He winks and ducks out of the door, grinning when he hears Jake curse 'annoying blondes'; he whole-heartedly agrees.

~oOo~

Harry glances anxiously at the front door, jumping up and rushing outside when he hears Jake's car in the driveway. He's been sitting at the table, gnawing on his thumbnail for the last half hour.

Joe has an equally anxious Draco perched on his lap, even if his blonde is trying not to show it. He's been silently watching the two wizards, his thoughts drifting to random things as he absently sips his cooling coffee. He's at a loss at what to say to comfort Harry, knowing nothing is wrong but unable to convince him otherwise. Harry made a quiet noise of distress and started the thumb gnawing when he couldn't offer definite proof. He strokes a hand down Draco's back, shifting slightly when Draco leans into him heavily.

Draco turns to look at the front door, it's still swinging closed after Harry's rushed exit. "Finally," he mutters. His shoulders relax a bit more when Joe's hands land on them and massage away the tension. He sighs and relaxes even more against Joe, feeling in danger of oozing right off the werewolf's lap under his skillful, wonderful hands. A soft grunt of pleasure is the only sound he makes for awhile.

His head jerks up as Jake and Harry walk back into the house. Harry is again plastered to Jake, his legs wrapped around Jake's waist, the werewolf carrying him again. Draco snorts at the utterly besotted look on the werewolf's face as he looks down at Harry.

"Hey Draco, Hey Joe," Jake greets them, settling into a chair. Harry relaxes his grip slightly to straddle his lap and his hands stroke and slide over his back, even as he talks to Joe. Harry's arms wrap around him, and his cheek is resting in the hollow of his throat making him have to angle his head oddly to look across the table. Not that he cares, he wouldn't move Harry for anything.

"The elders didn't have many answers about the whole imprinting thing." When Joe nods, not surprised in the least, he continues, a thoughtful frown on his face. "They were surprised I was able to form my own pack, though. Even if I was supposed to be the original Alpha."

He was surprised at how accepting the elders were. About everything. Like his dad, they didn't hold who his imprint was against him in the least. Well, after the shock wore off. A few slightly disgusted faces was the worst reaction but he had expected it and didn't let it bother him.

Jake's hands form loose fists over Harry's back as he thought of Sam briefly. "They were really pissed Sam kicked me out, too. I've never seen someone that old say the 'f' word before." He grins at the memory. "They agreed that Sam didn't have to ask them, so it wouldn't have changed a fucking thing."

Joe laughs softly, nodding his agreement. He isn't surprised by a thing Jake has said. He expected as much. "Alright. So, what _did_ they say?"

"Well, it was basically all about how I need to learn to accept Sam as another Alpha. Co-exist or some shit. It's not like we're never going to see each other again, it's a small town," Jake says, annoyance clear in his voice. "It's unheard of for there to be two separate packs, but we should be able to get along alright if we don't fight for members or some shit like that." He shakes his head with a disgusted snort. "Like I would. I have my pack," he says, looking at Joe and squeezes Harry, including him in the sentiment.

Joe nods, agreeing with Jake completely. "So, then what took so long?" he asks, his gaze flicking to Harry. They both had come in with slightly puffy lips so he knew they had spent the few moments outside furiously kissing. He's surprised Harry hadn't hexed Jake for making him worry.

"Oh," Jake waves a hand, "we just got to talking. They were very interested in Harry." He smiles down at the dark messy head pressed against him, hugging him tightly. "Apparently—" He huffs again, "I was acting like some love sick puppy." He glares good-naturedly when Draco snorts. "And they wanted to know more about my imprint. I didn't tell them everything," he says and looks down slightly, mostly addressing Harry, "but just the basics. I had to mention the whole wizard thing and they were pretty amazed. It only came up because none of them could figure out why I'd imprint on you."

Harry grunts. "Seriously, is the whole town going to know?"

He's grinning so Jake doesn't think he's actually mad, but he's still curious. "Uh," Jake flushes and shakes his head. "No, I promise. It's just like when I told my dad. Same thing," he says and Harry nods in understanding. "I really didn't tell them everything," he adds softly, ducking his head to speak only to Harry. He really didn't have to tell them everything; no one else has to defend who their imprint is, and he felt annoyed, and a little angry, he'd had to.

Draco jumps with a loud 'Fuck!' when his mobile goes off, the noise and vibration startling him. Joe gets a glare for snickering as he answers the call. "Angela!" he cries happily. "Just a moment," he angles the mobile down and presses a quick kiss on Joe's lips before he slides off his lap and takes the call in the other room.

"Angela?" Jake asks, eyebrows quirking up.

Harry nods, gaze following Draco's back as he leaves the room. "Estate agent," he answers absently, trying to hear the conversation. They've been waiting to hear back from the woman. He hears a triumphant whoop at one point and Draco struts back in the room moments later with a smug grin on his face. He smiles in relief, sure they've received good news.

"It's ours, Harry!" Draco crows and rushes over to plop back in Joe's lap. "I didn't expect to hear back so soon. Our offer was accepted and we can go tomorrow to sign the papers," he gushes, his hands gesturing wildly. "Once we sign, we can move in. Right away." He claps his hands once excitedly before rubbing them together, a suspicious twinkle in his eye.

Harry slowly turns, sitting astride Jake now. "What?" he asks cautiously, eyeing Draco warily. That look can't be good.

"We've got to go shopping, Potter." When Harry groans, Draco grins mischievously. "We haven't a thing for a house." Harry's head drops onto the table with a miserable groan. "This could take _days_ , Potter!" he informs happily.

Jake snickers at Harry's reaction, unsure why he looks down right miserable. "Shopping isn't so bad."

"Fine," Harry snaps his head up and glares at Jake. "Then _you_ go." He crosses his arms petulantly. "I should have just shrunk and packed everything from Grimmauld Place," he grouses to himself. He didn't want most of that moldy old stuff, but now it seems like the lesser of two evils if he has to choose between that and shopping. With Draco. He groans again.

Draco smirks, "Yes, well you didn't. So," he turns to Joe. "Take me shopping, handsome." He wraps an arm behind Joe's neck and lightly kicks his heels at Joe's legs in an effort to get Joe to stand and carry him. Joe laughs and shakes his head with amusement. "Hup hup!" Draco says, bouncing slightly in his lap when Joe doesn't make any effort to move.

"Harry," Jake says in a soothing voice, running a comforting hand down his back, "let's all go. We'll go into Port Angeles, find some essentials and get something to eat. Maybe catch a movie?" He wiggles in his seat, trying to get his attention, making Harry flop around slightly. He snickers, unable to help it at Harry's childish attitude. "C'mon, it'll be nice. Like a date," he offers brightly, hoping to entice his boyfriend. Jake grins to himself; _boyfriend_. He's not sure it's the right word, it almost feels juvenile and quite inadequate for what they are, but it makes him feel warm all over nonetheless.

Harry grumbles again, but nods slowly. "Fine." He ignores Draco's smirk and gives Jake a pointed look. "But I refuse to sit with him," he hooks a thumb at Draco. "I hate when he talks during a film."

"Fuck off, Potter," Draco says hotly and then gives a sheepish smile to the chuckling werewolves. "I only did that _once_. I already explained I didn't know the people in the moobie couldn't hear me." He huffs when Harry just waves him off. "Git," he mumbles, trying hard to ignore Joe's attempts to sooth him.

Joe chuckles. "Movie," he corrects softly, rubbing his nose against Draco's when his cheeks pink slightly and he nods a 'thank you'. "I'll get you popcorn. It's not a proper movie theater experience without popcorn."

Draco looks uncertain. "Popcorn?"

~oOo~

"Oh for the love of Merlin's hairy left arse cheek, just _pick_ one, Potter!"

"Shut it, blondie. I'm going to be stuck with this for awhile, I want to pick a nice one."

"They're all the same! Wood! Wood! Oh, and look _more wood!_ What's to pick?"

"Oh please, you spent an _hour_ picking _sheets_ , Malfoy."

There's an indignant scoff. "I needed to find the highest thread count since they don't even _know_ what _silk_ is."

Jake and Joe stand wisely off to the side, watching the two wizards argue with each other in the middle of the store. Their eyes flick back and forth between them, reminding Jake of people watching a tennis match as they watch each man as they argue back and forth. "You know," Joe muses, his index finger tapping his chin thoughtfully, "I bet we'd get more done if we split up." He waves a finger between the two groups.

"Uh." Jake looks to Harry, arguing about the differences between the available woods and stain colors, torn. "I don't know. Harry might be pissed if I leave him with just Draco."

Joe looks offended for a moment before he gets what Jake means. "He'll get over it," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "It's not like they've never argued," he grins. "Besides, he'll be all the happier to see you when we meet up again later. And I think he'll be happy to spend less time shopping in the long run."

Jake bites his lip, thinking. "Yeah, OK. I think they were looking for stuff for the kitchen." He follows Joe to the housewares section, casting one last look at the bickering wizards; Harry's hands are flailing around as Draco stands with his arms crossed, his face tilted up haughtily with his lips twisted in a smirk. If he didn't see the amusement dancing in the grey eyes, he'd probably have to stifle a strong urge to pound the blonde. As it is, he rolls his eyes fondly and leaves the two wizards to their argument, relatively sure the pair is enjoying it.

An hour later, they wander the store in search of their wizards when Jake hears Draco's voice. He rolls his eyes as he hears complaints about the lack of finishes for a dining room set. As they get closer, he flinches at the expression on Harry's face and he wonders how Draco is still standing. Harry's right hand is twitching and Jake is sure he's holding himself back from taking out his wand and hexing the disgruntled blonde.

"Harry," he calls, waving. He smiles when Harry immediately relaxes his posture and gives him a small smile. "What's left?"

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin, making Joe snort in amusement and his face soften with admiration. He can't understand why he finds his snooty attitude so endearing but he isn't complaining. "Practically everything," he announces and takes a piece of parchment from his back pocket and scans the list. "We've barely dented our list." He folds the sheet and tucks it away. "Honestly, Potter, we need a better store to shop in."

Jake checks his watch, "Well, I'm starving," he says ignoring Draco's rant about the town's lack of fine shopping. "What about you guys?" He's relieved when everyone agrees and they finally get out of the store with the few purchases they'd managed to make. As soon as they get to a deserted street, Harry shrinks everything down and Jake has to clamp his teeth down tightly to keep a moan in as his body flairs in reaction to the burst of magic. Thankfully it passes relatively quickly and he's not feeling like a complete deviant when they walk into the restaurant.

As they wait for their food, Jake leans close to whisper in Harry's ear. "So, what did you get?"

Harry ticks off items on his fingers, "Random household stuff, a bedroom set and a dining room set. They're going to deliver it," he pauses to check the date on his phone, "in two or three days. So, we're cutting it close by signing the papers tomorrow." He sighs and rubs his nose, suddenly tired. He leans against Jake, stifling a yawn with his hand. "I bloody hate shopping," he pouts.

Jake keeps his snicker of amusement to himself and just wraps an arm around his pouting Harry, making soothing noises while Harry continues to grumble about stupid blondes and bloody furniture.

~oOo~

The days have gone by too fast for Harry. They had finally signed the papers and are now official homeowners. He still stares at the keys with an amused sense of accomplishment. Draco, after learning the wonders of the internet from Joe, has spent way too much money shopping online. They now have furniture for every room, most of it still waiting to be delivered, and a fully stocked kitchen.

Connecting the floo took longer than he'd thought it would; the American Wizarding Bureau lost their paperwork for two days. After they were found, it was just a matter of signing them, owling them back and they were connected. Apparently, they required separate papers for international capability and another for traveling. When Harry had asked Draco if that was how it usually is, he'd only shrugged, never having to connect a floo on his own before.

Mortimer finally arrived this morning, tired and overloaded with a heavy parcel from Draco's mother. Harry grumbles over her lack of thoughtfulness to shrink and place a lightening charm on it. Jake had stared at the large owl, his mouth hanging open. Harry carefully closed it, kissed him softly and explained the 'wizarding postal service'. Jake thought it odd but was pleasantly surprised at how Mortimer interacted with him. The owl nipped him lightly when Jake called him 'Morty', making him laugh despite his wounded finger. Harry opened the package to find three books, two of them quite large and old. They'd put the books in the library, intent on studying it later.

Jake's gaze keeps sliding to the library often as he sits on the sofa watching Harry work in the kitchen. He's itching to learn more about the strange reproductive ways of wizards.

With a heavy sigh, Harry reorganizes the bakeware—again. He's been sorting out the kitchen for the past two hours, trying to keep his mind off the fact that Teddy is coming to visit. For two months. He doesn't mind seeing his godson, but he hasn't taken care of a child before and it makes panic flair through him again at the thought. The only thing that kept him from refusing were Jake's assurances that he was great with kids and had no problem helping him. He idly wonders how the two will interact.

At the sound of the floo, Harry rushes from the kitchen, barely sparing a confused Jake a glance. A moment later, Remus steps through the floo, carrying Teddy. Numerous trunks float out after him, making Harry raise an eyebrow at Remus. He hadn't expected Remus or that many trunks. He smiles, though, happy the older man is visiting as well.

"Unk Harry!" Teddy cries, his arms reaching out towards Harry.

Harry carefully takes Teddy from Remus, ruffling Teddy's black hair as he says 'hi' and hugs his pseudo-godfather before turning to the little boy. "Hey Teddy," he smiles. "You excited to stay with me for awhile?"

Teddy nods enthusiastically, clapping his small hands with delight. "Yeah!" he cries, pumping his little fist with excitement.

Jake stands up from the sofa, catching Harry's eye. He's staring at Remus and Teddy, his mouth hanging open as his wide eyes drift from the fireplace to the people that _walked out of it_. "Harry," he finally manages. "What, uh, how...?" He doesn't add 'what the fuck?!', sure that no one would appreciate such language around the kid.

Remus is eyeing Jake carefully, his nostrils flaring lightly. He doesn't smell like any werewolf he's ever met before but the scent _is_ there, just very subtle. He's taken aback a bit at the size of Jake, too. Something about him screams 'power' even though he looks the picture of kindness; his own wolf easily recognizes an Alpha.

He notices Harry looking at Jake over Teddy's head, love (and something he recognizes as desire, he realizes with an internal snicker and a warm flood of relief) in his eyes as he introduces Jake to Teddy. He watches as Harry explains why and how they walked out a fireplace. Jake's eyes are still wide as he looks from Harry, Teddy and himself to the fireplace again. He coughs lightly, subtly reminding them of his presence.

Jake notices first, he quickly looks Remus over and he smiles, unconsciously stepping closer to Harry but still open and welcoming.

"Remus, this is Jacob Black..." Harry says, nodding his head towards Jake.

Jake shuffles closer to the older man. "Hi, sorry. I'm Jake," he says and offers a hand to Remus, who gladly takes it, pleased there's no crushing involved. "Harry's... uh, well, Harry's Jake," he finishes lamely, ignoring twin amused sounds from Joe and Draco as they enter the room. He turns slightly, "Well? What should I call... it?" he asks, waving a hand in frustration. "I mean, us."

"Well." Draco wraps an arm around Joe's waist. Joe is no help, he's only standing there grinning at Jake. "I call him my boyfriend." He looks at Joe, and smiles before turning back to Jake. "I mean, really. What else would you call him? Imprintee makes it sound like he's suffering some disease. Or in some institution."

Jake laughs, slowly nodding. "Okay, good point." He looks back to Remus, his cheeks slightly pink. "Nice to meet you," he finishes.

Remus smiles and inclines his head, letting go of the large hand. "Likewise. I'm Remus Lupin." At Jake's knowing nod, he looks to Harry. "Why am I not surprised you've told him all about me?" he asks, his voice slightly amused and knowing Harry knows he's referring to his own werewolf side. He supposes it makes sense, surprising a young pack with his sudden appearance would probably be a very bad idea. He looks around, enjoying the comforting, welcoming air of the house and people gathered.

"You shouldn't be," Harry shrugs. "There's not a lot I don't tell Jake," he says simply. Jake beams at Harry before leaning down to see Teddy better. When Jake startles, he notices Teddy's hair is now a lighter brown and his eyes have shifted to a golden color, like Remus'. "He's a Metamorphmagus. Simply put, he can change how he looks. So far it's only his hair and eye color, but I've got a feeling he'll be able to do more," he says and then tickles Teddy's tummy, grinning when the little boy laughs with delight.

Jake nods mutely. He's reminded of that girl at the local high school Bella went to. That chick would have a different hair color every week. He's pretty sure it wasn't magic, but just lots of dye. "Is that a common... thing?"

"Erm," Harry purses his lips in thought. "I really don't know. I'd only ever met one other before; Teddy's mum." Jake sees pain flash through his eyes, so he doesn't need to ask about Teddy's mum. He places a comforting hand on Harry's back, rubbing softly. "Remus?"

The older man tears his gaze away from Jake's hand on Harry to meet his eyes. "Hmm? Yes?"

"I was wondering, why did Andromeda contact me about Teddy?"

Remus's cheeks flush and he walks over and sits down on the sofa with a soft sigh. "Well, I've been seeing someone. Andromeda has been watching Teddy on the weekends for me." He tries to ignore Harry's narrowed eyes as he continues. He had wanted to ask Harry to help out, but Andromeda had almost seemed offended he was implying she couldn't handle it. "We did talk about him visiting, so she didn't overstep any boundaries."

He sighs, head dipping a little. "You said you had room, so I was hoping we could stay as well. I've been forced into a holiday, of sorts," he huffs, rolling his eyes and making his annoyance in being manipulated clear.

It isn't that bothersome but he had wanted to give Harry more notice. Harry's delighted smile is reassuring but he still feels bad he hadn't given the younger man more warning. "I was busy at work, getting everything sorted so Andromeda offered to ask you for me."

"You're always welcome, Remus," Harry says, chuckling quietly. "I know you're a good father to Teddy." He gives Remus' hand a light squeeze. "How is Andromeda doing, anyway? She didn't stick around long enough for small talk after I agreed Teddy could stay."

He hadn't been offended, long used to the older woman's brusque ways and short patience for floo calls. He didn't blame her really; it's a very awkward method of communication and he could only imagine it was a literal pain for someone with her health issues.

Remus shrugs. "Good, I'd say. We don't talk much either. We exchange hello's when I drop off Teddy mostly. She's not happy with... who I'm seeing," he finishes quietly, trying (and failing) not to fidget. He knows Harry will understand but he's still a bit reluctant; not many people have been understanding or supportive. He'd make other plans if Harry is upset and shows discomfort to have him stay.

Harry leans forward intrigued. "Who is it?" He doesn't want to assume, but it sounds bad. Maybe an ex-Death Eater? He frowns, he doesn't remember many female death eaters... Well, any still living. Maybe a vampire? That would—

"—name is Nigel."

"Nigel?" Harry asks and blinks, only catching the end of Remus' sentence as he shakes himself from his own thoughts, confused a moment. He hadn't expected a man's name. "Remus!" he grins, realization dawning. "Did you seriously think I'd have an issue with that?" he asks, biting the inside of his cheek so he doesn't laugh.

He can't feel _that_ annoyed at Remus for not telling him sooner, he didn't exactly run around telling everyone he was gay at first either. He really can understand Remus' reluctance; he'd been thought of as straight until now.

Remus shifts awkwardly on the sofa. "Well, no. Not really. I... well... Everyone has been pretty upset about it. Teddy likes him, though," he sends a warm smile to his son, who's now perched on Jake's lap showing the younger werewolf his talents. His hair is bright yellow, his eyes orange. "I mostly wasn't sure if you'd mind all of us staying here." He looks around the large house and his eyes get wide. "Not that you don't have the room."

"Of course I don't mind," Harry says emphatically and smiles warmly. "We've tons of room, yeah?" He's itching with curiosity. How long have they been seeing each other if Nigel is coming across the globe to spend two months with Remus and his son? He can't imagine not liking the man if he's serious about Remus and Teddy.

Remus smiles, relieved, before standing and walking to the floo again. He tosses in some floo powder, mutters into the green flames and waits patiently. Soon Nigel's face is visible and Remus simply says: "Alright. Come on through." He steps back and waits patiently, smiling a bit at Jake's stunned expression. He can only imagine how it must look to the young man, even having witnessed his arrival.

"Harry," Jake mutters, slowly turning his attention from the fireplace, "that is the coolest thing I've ever seen." Harry snorts. "No really! It's like teleportation and video phone all together."

Harry taps a finger against his lips, "I hadn't thought of it that way, but I supposes it's true. However, it's nauseating to travel that way." He shudders lightly. "I mean that literally. And if you're talking long enough, it kills your knees. But yeah, it's cool."

The floo whooshes and a tall, sandy haired man walks into the room, a small suitcase clutched tightly in his hand. His blue eyes dart around the room nervously as he takes in all the people. The two massive young men (who he's been told are also werewolves) making him the most uneasy, even though one has Teddy on his lap and the other is wrapped around a blonde wizard; he's eased by the smiles on both their faces.

He moves towards Remus, calming more as he gets closer. "Hi," he murmurs, unsure why he feels so awkward. The whole room is practically crackling with magic and energy, making his skin prickle almost uncomfortably. He gives Remus a sideways glance and can't tell if he's noticed it or not.

"Hi, love," Remus says softly, brushing a light kiss across the corner of Nigel's mouth. He ushers Nigel closer to Harry with a hand on the small of his back. "Nigel, this is Harry." He points to Harry and smiles when Harry politely shakes Nigel's hand. He can't help but wonder at what's changed Harry enough to willingly shake hands with a stranger but he's pleased at whatever the cause is. He's sure it has a bit to do with Jacob. "This is Jacob," he gestures to the man holding Teddy. Jake stands, still holding Teddy, and shakes Nigel's hand, giving him a small, welcoming smile. "That's Draco," he says indicating the blonde. "And I'm sorry, I wasn't introduced..." he trails off, embarrassed when he realizes he doesn't know the other young werewolf's name.

Joe stands and crosses the room. "Joe Riverstone." He smiles and shakes Nigel's hand as well as Remus'. "Draco's man," he says proudly with a slight smirk before sitting back down next to the blonde, rearranging him so he's close but not inappropriately touching. As much as he loves Draco sprawled in his lap, there is a kid and two strangers here.

"Draco," the blonde says, raising a finger and giving a small smile. He watches Nigel closely and silently breathes with relief when the other man doesn't sneer or make any other overt indication towards his name. He then tips a short salute at Nigel, pleased it is returned. "Pleasure," he says sincerely, inclining his head.

Nigel turns slowly and surveys the room. "Wow, nice place."

"Thanks," Harry says brightly. "C'mon, I'll show you guys where you're staying." He leaves the room, and heads up the staircase. "Oh, I already put charms on the steps so Teddy can't fall down them." Remus nods his thanks. "OK, erm, did you want to share a room?" he turns, waving a finger between Remus and Nigel. "Or...?"

Nigel smiles, "We can share." Though, as he looks at all the doors, they don't have to. He glances at Remus and smiles when the other man nods his head firmly in agreement.

He had expected Remus to put a bit of distance between them and he feels a happy warmth in his chest that he isn't. His godson (and his friends) appears to be the small minority he's comfortable with. It probably helps greatly they're in similar relationships and their casual touches and close proximity to each other won't be looked at with disdain or disgust. He's still adjusting to Andromeda's cool attitude, even after all these months with Remus.

"OK," Harry nods once and wiggles his eyebrows lewdly, laughing when both men blush. He opens the closest door, ushering the couple in quickly. "Then you can take this room. We just moved in, so there's really only the basics in here. If you need anything let me know, we'll get it."

Remus waves a hand, "Nonsense. This will be fine."

"Remus. Shut up," Harry says kindly, giggling a bit at the affronted expression on the older man's face. "If I want to make sure you're comfortable, let me. So, Nigel," he looks to the other man, "if Remus won't tell me, I expect you to, yeah?"

Nigel nods, his eyes a bit wide. He had heard of Harry Potter, of course, but meeting him was beyond any expectations he'd had. He tried not to believe the media hype and he's glad he's pushed it aside. He's quite like Remus had described, only slightly exaggerated by a parental pride and affection.

"Good," Harry says, walking into the room finally. "There's a bathroom, so..." He doesn't finish the thought, just gestures at the slightly open door. Remus looks around the corner of the door frame, his eyes wide. The room is a bright white with small hints of light blue, shining silver fixtures and it's huge. There is a large tub and a separate shower stall. "Might as well unpack, guys. Get comfy," he instructs with a smile and leaves them alone, closing the door behind him.

The pair spend a long moment just looking around the room. "Wow," Nigel breathes. The room is huge and a king sized bed takes up the middle of the room. He wanders over, running a hand down the fluffy, soft comforter. It's so soft, he can't even name what the fabric is.

"Wow is right," Remus says lightly. "Looks like Draco took charge here," he comments, feeling the silky bedding. "Nice, though." He turns and opens the door, takes out his wand and waves it. A moment later, all their luggage is bouncing in the room. "Right, let's unpack." He grabs one of the trunks and heads towards the closet, not waiting for Nigel's complaints. The way he was looking at the bed (and the massive bathtub) let Remus know unpacking is the last thing on his to-do list.

"Teddy!" Harry hollers down the steps. A small voice calls back and he grins. "Come up stairs!" He cancels the repelling charm briefly as Teddy runs up the stairs, holding the railing carefully. "Oh, and just so you know, I made it so you can't go up and down the stairs alone, yeah?" Teddy nods, giving the marble stairs a glance. It would hurt a lot to fall down these stairs. "C'mon. I wanted to show you which room is yours." Teddy's hand is in his a moment later and they walk down the hallway together.

He pauses outside the door, pointing to the door next to it. "That's your dad's room. Same rules, knock first, yeah?" At Teddy's nod, he shows him his room. Teddy whoops happily as they walk in. The room is an explosion of colors; bright blues, greens, yellows and reds assault the eyes. He's enchanted the painted golden snitches to fly and dart around the walls when touched, much to Teddy's delight. In the corner is a toy bin, packed with toys.

He points to the toy bin, "Those are all Muggle toys, Teddy. I didn't have time to get wizard ones."

Teddy rushes over, not caring if the toys are Muggle or not; toys are toys! "Thanks!" he gushes, pulling toys out. There are action figures, little metal things he thinks are called 'cars' and stuffed toys. All of them just lay there, waiting for him to make them move. He nearly disappears, only his wiggling legs visible as he leans into the large bin, digging toys out from the bottom.

A big box of colored bricks draws his attention. He lifts it up, shaking it around at uncle Harry. "What're these?" he asks, giggling at the tinkling, plastic noise the box makes.

Harry grins and walks over, taking the box and opening it. "These are brilliant. Jake showed them to me. You can build anything you want with them." The lady at the store said a child Teddy's age was pushing the age limit though, something about a choking hazard. "And don't put these in your mouth." He points a stern finger at Teddy. He thought the large chunky version made for toddlers didn't look nearly as fun or versatile.

"Okay," Teddy's small brow furrows, his hair turning orange. "Why would I eat them? Are they candy?" he asks and looks at the box closely, wondering what flavors they are.

Harry chuckles, ruffling Teddy's hair as it fades to a dark brown. "No, not at all. Kids just put things in their mouths. But don't. Okay?" At Teddy's vehement nod, he dumps the plastic pieces on the floor. There is a booklet among the pieces and he flips through it. "Look, Teddy. Instructions." He glances at the booklet, relieved it's in pictures so Teddy should be able to easily follow them if he wants to. "Okay, have fun," he says, ruffling Teddy's now green hair before he stands. "We're going to be eating soon, so don't get too carried away."

Teddy absently nods, his attention on the plastic pieces in his hands. He's carefully lining them up, his small tongue poking out of his mouth in concentration. His face lights up as they click together. "Unk Harry! I did it!" he says excitedly, waving the connected pieces triumphantly.

"Wicked," Harry smiles, turning when he hears a knock on the door.

Remus pokes his head in, his eyes widening as he takes in the room. "Wow, Harry. This is—" He pauses a moment trying to find the right word, "Amazing." He smiles and squeezes Harry's shoulder in thanks. He didn't expect such a personalized room for Teddy but he's not exactly surprised by Harry's generosity. He smiles again, his gratitude evident. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Harry says feeling pleased, as he waves a hand, "but it's not a big deal. I went a little overboard when I heard Teddy was coming." He grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. The toy box alone filled a large part of the corner of the room.

Remus shakes his head, chuckling softly. "Well, it's brilliant. I'm sure Teddy loves it," his gaze falls on his son sitting on the floor in the middle of a large pile of small brick-shaped toys. "He won't want to leave," he murmurs, glaring at Harry good-naturedly. "Anyway, I have his things." He hefts a trunk into the room. As soon as he opens it, he taps it with his wand and all the items zoom out and fly to their rightful places in the room.

Teddy looks up briefly as his stuffed kneazle, Simon, flies past him to land on his bed. He nods approvingly and goes back to building.

They leave Teddy to his playing and head back downstairs.

Jake notices Harry enter the room and immediately rushes over to him. "Draco has never had Chinese food!" he exclaims sounding indignant, pointing an accusatory finger towards the blonde. Draco looks like he's torn between embarrassment, amusement and indignation. Joe, as usual, is just smiling at Draco's expression.

Harry shakes his head sadly. "I know, it's tragic. I think we should get some for dinner tonight then," he offers, arching a questioning eyebrow at everyone in the room. He wants to cook (actually looking forward to using the new kitchen and making a huge meal for everyone) but at Jake's enthusiastic nod, he doesn't mind waiting one more day. He looks around at everyone for confirmation and gets nods all around.

"Alright, this is your area, where do we get good Chinese food around here?"

Jake grins and grabs Harry's cellphone from his back pocket. "Just leave it all to me."


	6. Chapter 6

Jake had gone out alone but comes back loaded down with dozens of take-out boxes and a bouncing Seth, who is carrying even more bags of food. Seth greets everyone in his usual manner, stopping short when he comes to Remus and Nigel.

"Uhm, Hi. I'm Seth," he offers his hand after he shifts some bags and Remus takes it quickly followed by Nigel. Seth's nose tingles and he looks at the older werewolf with interest. "Are you that werewolf that Harry knows?" he blurts out, unable to clap a hand over his mouth so he rolls his lips together.

Remus grins, no longer surprised by how much Harry has told these young men. "Yes, that would be me."

"Wicked," Seth gushes. "I hope you don't get all offended, but I really gotta ask you something."

Seth is bouncing slightly, reminding Remus of when Teddy has to use the bathroom. He looks at Harry for a moment and shrugs when Harry smiles encouragingly. "Sure, I can't promise I'll answer, though." He grins again, showing more teeth and only gets a bigger grin from Seth.

"Cool," Seth stares, his face stuck in a grin. "No, sure, I get ya. So, like you're the kinda wolf that changes with the full moon?" Remus nods. "Okay, so, like, what do you do?"

"Do?"

"Yeah, when you wolf out." Seth looks Remus over. "You don't seem like the kinda guy that would run amok, eating people," he says.

He found it odd when Harry mentioned that the guy would lock himself up at the time of his change. He couldn't understand it, he never felt the urge to do anything but act like a normal wolf. Maybe it was because of his protective nature? The idea of a werewolf wanting to attack people was so against anything he ever felt.

Remus laughs, he can't help it. "I certainly don't. I take a potion and it helps. And I lock myself away," he ends quietly.

"Oh." Seth's brow furrows. "That's stupid, man. Why not just stay away from people? Find some forest to run around in?" He looks sideways at Harry a moment before leaning forward and lowering his voice, "I know it sounds gross, but when you're a wolf, eating a deer or something isn't all that bad."

Remus looks at Seth, chuckling briefly before his expression turns serious. "Well, I don't have any real control over myself when I'm a wolf, staying away from people isn't all that easy. I can't just stay away from people even if I find a remote enough area. The potion I take helps somewhat but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something went wrong," he says, shaking his head. He did feel more in control of Moony when he took his Wolfsbane but he'd never test how much control he had.

"Oh, okay," Seth nods slowly. "I think I getcha. Sorry if I was a dick, I was just curious and Harry didn't want to say much." Even though he was insanely curious, he could respect that. It wasn't cool to go around blabbing other people's business.

Remus waves a hand, giving Seth an easy smile. It's difficult not to like the young man. "Not a problem. I'm still getting used to the fact you boys know and that you appear to be a different sort of werewolf."

Seth doesn't get a chance to respond before a small child runs in the room, tackling him with a loud shrieking war cry. He looks up to see everyone laughing or grinning at him, even the kid that's laying painfully on his crotch. "Hi there," he manages after he gets his breath back.

"Hi!" Teddy chirps. "Jake said I should do that," he says, grinning unapologetically. He climbs off Seth, accidentally placing a foot in the man's crotch again, offering a small hand to help him up.

Seth ignores the hand, eyeing the kid with an amused grin. He looks like he could barely pick up his own pants, let alone him. He sits up and grumbles, "I should have known. Well, I'm Seth. What's your name?" he asks shaking the offered hand vigorously instead, making the kid's arm flop comically.

Teddy giggles, letting his body flop around. "I'm Teddy Lupin," he says proudly. "I already know you're Seth." He leans in, cupping a hand to Seth's ear, "And I know you're a wolf. Like dad and Jake and Joe." He giggles as he leans back, his hair turning yellow with streaks of purple. He grins when Seth gapes at him, his wide brown eyes unwavering from his head.

"Woah!" Seth cries, staring wide-eyed at Teddy's hair before he looks around the room wildly, pointing a finger at Teddy's head. "Did you see that?" he squeaks. He's not sure who he's asking—everyone probably. No one else looks surprised though and Teddy is giggling madly, his hair now rapidly turning colors. He can barely keep track of the colors as it shifts from yellow to orange to green and ends up a bright blue.

Harry is the first to answer, "Yeah. He does that," he offers simply with a wave of his hand. He claps his hands together and rubs them together briskly. "Well, let's eat! I'm starving and the smell of that food is making me drool."

Everyone heads into the dining room but Seth is still staring at Teddy's now black hair—it's sticking up everywhere just like Harry's. As soon as they all sit down he leans towards Jake. "Jake!" he whispers, poking his Alpha in the ribs to get his attention. "What's with that kid, man?"

"Shhh!" Jake shushes Seth, his eyes darting over to Teddy. He doesn't want the kid to feel bad they're talking about him. Either they're quiet enough not to be overheard, or everyone is just that focused on dishing up food, no one glances at him and Seth.

He finally chuckles, amused at Seth's reaction; he had been about as surprised the first time he saw Teddy do that. "He's able to change his hair and stuff. I forget what Harry called it, some long word. Really cool though, right? Harry says his mom could do it too. And change her whole body, actually," he says and ignores Seth's slack jawed expression. "He only does it around us, so don't say anything, OK?"

Seth nods, giving Jake a plain _duh_ look. "Yeah, I won't say anything. I know how this secret shit works." Jake snorts a laugh. "Now pass the Chow Mein my good man!" He grabs more containers, piling food on his plate haphazardly. Seeing as there are no girls around, he doesn't feel the need to worry about his manners overly and eagerly stuffs his face. He manages to refrain from lowering his face to the edge of his plate, though, and uses his fork.

Draco is poking at an egg roll, his face pinched with uncertainty and a little revulsion. "Is this thing even edible?" he asks Joe, who's happily devouring his own egg roll. The golden fried roll rolls around his plate with each poke, leaving little smears of grease and flaky, golden crumbs. He already tried the various things that has Joe forked onto his plate sporadically, eating practically everything he's tried. He ignores a small pile of broccoli, though. He refuses to eat the vile green vegetable no matter what kind of goopy sauce it's covered in.

"Yeah," Joe says around a mouthful of food. "'S really good. Try it." He points to the egg roll with his empty fork, waggling it towards Draco's mouth as if needing to demonstrate where it needs to go.

Draco heaves a long-suffering sigh and raises the egg roll up to his eye level, staring at it dubiously for a moment. He nibbles a corner off. "Don't watch me," he grouses, feeling Joe's gaze on him as he's trying to hide his surprised pleasure. He takes a bigger bite of the egg roll, even the middle bit is good, and licks crumbs from his lips. He can't remember ever eating fried food before and absently wonders why he's never tried it before. He eyes a packet of dark sauce, wondering if it would be good on the egg roll.

Joe leans over, "I can't help it. I enjoy watching that mouth too much," he says lowly and makes a soft _oomph!_ when Draco's elbow connects with his gut. He decides it is worth the discomfort when he sees the light pink face Draco turns on him. Yeah, totally worth it to see Draco looking all hot and bothered in less than two seconds, from only a few words…

"Can you not say such things in front of the child?" Draco hisses quietly, trying to ignore his perverted boyfriend's heated gaze. He huffs, his eyes darting to Teddy sitting one chair away. Teddy isn't paying them any mind but that's beside the point.

Joe just hums and shrugs carelessly. "I don't think he heard me, and even if he did I didn't say anything inappropriate." He looks over to be sure and grins when it's clear Teddy is paying them no mind. His focus is solely on his food; his little tongue is poking out of his mouth as he furiously tries to work his chopsticks. He finally just drops one and decides to stab at his sweet and sour pork. With a triumphant whoop, Teddy stuffs the speared food in his mouth, smearing pink sauce all over his mouth and chin in the process. Joe chuckles when he notices a fork lying ignored at his elbow.

Draco scoffs, lifting his chin with a sniff. " _Guam_ heard you," he mutters as he rolls his eyes, but they go wide as he feels a hand brush against his crotch. "Joe!" he hisses but is ignored. He darts his eyes around, only slightly thankful no one is staring. He slaps at Joe's hand as subtly as he can but the large, warm hand only presses harder and _moves_.

Joe's other hand is busy forking noodles into his mouth, looking the picture of innocence; just a man whose sole focus is the food going in his mouth as he ignores Draco's muttered promises of pain. It isn't hard to ignore the hissed words when there are soft, nearly inaudible, moans and gasps, too. He palms the bulge, pleased when Draco squeaks and squirms slightly in his seat.

Harry notices Draco jump and looks over. He's about to ask if Draco is OK when he notices Joe's other hand is suspiciously missing, a slight smirk on his face. He gives a sideways glance to Jake. Jake would probably jump a foot and scream if he tried that in front of everyone. Especially with Teddy and Remus here.

"Jake—" He leans over, lowering his voice to a quiet whisper. "Is Billy going to be OK if you stay over?" Jake comes over every day since they got the house but his feelings of responsibility for his dad always have him going home at night. Even lately, when it's clear he'd rather stay.

Harry understands but he's a bit anxious to spend more time with Jake and neither of them feels all that comfortable going further if Jake isn't able to sleep over. Jake said he'd feel like he was using Harry, uncomfortable with the idea of a 'shag and run' as Harry called it. It's rather ridiculous but he respects (and grudgingly) understands what Jake means, even if it means he's stuck sleeping alone.

Jake glances over, smiling. "Yeah, he's staying with Charlie tonight. Some kind of movie marathon is on, so he was gonna crash there instead of trying to make it home at three AM." He smiles and leans closer, kissing Harry on the neck, noticing the goose bumps that spring up on his skin. He licks his lips, his brain almost immediately going to places it shouldn't at the dinner table.

He clears his throat, his gaze darting across the table as he fidgets with a chopstick. "Is it cool if Seth stays, though? I don't feel like taking him home."

"Yeah, sure. Plenty of room." Harry grins. He pauses a moment, "Wait—Draco!" he calls across the table, his grin widening when the blonde jumps and turns to him, his cheeks still a lively pink. "Did we get enough beds for the fifth room?" Draco just nods, sending a glare at Joe from the corner of his eye. Harry turns back to Jake, "There, all set. I can probably try to transfigure one, but I've always been pants at it. Draco isn't much better," he says, taking advantage of Draco being distracted.

"Oh, well what about Remus?" Jake nods at the older man. He knows he's a wizard as well as a werewolf, since he had seen his wand earlier when he charmed Teddy's cup so it wouldn't spill. Teddy had proceeded to knock the cup over and turn it upside down, excitedly showing Seth (and anyone else that would watch) the way the soda stayed put.

Harry shrugs. "Not that I know of. But it doesn't matter, now does it? I hope Seth is OK with a really big bed."

Jake snickers. "Sure sure. I think he'll be up most of the night jumping on it," he says loudly enough for Seth to hear.

"Jake," Seth pouts, barely able to resist the urge to flip him the bird when he remembers Teddy being in the room. "I did that once, Jake. And I was, like, six." Jake laughs even louder. "Shut up," he mutters, stuffing a forkful of fried rice in his face.

They finish dinner and Harry is amazed there isn't a scrap of food left. He was sure they'd have leftovers for at least a week. Jake wasn't kidding when he said his pack have hearty appetites. Teddy was sent to bed, amidst numerous protests and a long dragged out good night ritual where he said good night to everyone, insisting on a hug from each person. As he went up the stairs, Harry hears him pleading for a bed time story, causing Nigel to chuckle softly when they hear Remus murmur a 'yes', trying to sound reluctant but only coming off as indulgent.

Harry had almost forgotten about the man, he'd been upstairs with Remus most of the evening and rather quiet at dinner. "So, where did you meet Remus?" he asks Nigel, hoping to get to know the man better. He doesn't look forward to spending two months with a stranger.

"At the Ministry," Nigel explains, smiling softly with memory. "Remus was coming in for his bi-yearly check-in. I handled his paperwork." He smiles again. "I'd only started there a few week before hand, so." He shrugs, unsure how much to add.

He'd been immediately smitten when he saw Remus coming out of one of the offices, even in his shaken state. Maybe even because of it; his voice gruff and his eyes glowing a soft amber in his agitation. Seeing which office he was coming from, he knew who (and what) Remus was but he found himself not caring. He had met enough werewolves to not let that bother or deter him.

He had practically thrown himself at Remus, unsure if the older man would appreciate it but taking the chance the moment the other man had looked his way. He'd been pleasantly surprised when Remus had quietly agreed to join him for a coffee, his eyes still holding traces of amber and surprise.

For the next two weeks, Remus made a habit of turning up at his desk, around his coffee break time. Until he had finally stammered out a request for a date—a proper date. It still makes him smile to remember the way Remus had stammered and blushed, barely getting all the words out before he'd practically yelled 'Yes!' right in the middle of the Ministry.

Harry nods, understanding what the check-in was for but still feels irritation flair up. Remus is a war hero and he had been trying to get laws and Ministry rules changed for werewolves (and other people with 'dark creature' blood) ever since. It was hard since Voldemort had werewolves on his side as well, but he hoped to get enough provisos included so people like Remus weren't persecuted the same as vicious ones.

He doesn't need to ask if Nigel knows about Remus being a werewolf now and finds himself relaxing around the man a little more. If he's able to accept Remus, he's already proven to be a decent bloke.

"What did you do before that?" Harry asks curiously, looking Nigel over. He really doesn't seem like a Ministry-type person.

"I dabbled," Nigel says with a slight shrug. "This and that. I don't have to worry about money, so I slacked off for quite a bit. Traveling, mostly. I tried teaching, but found I didn't mesh well with the structure," he admits, smiling sheepishly. He had enjoyed working with the kids but it hadn't been enough to keep him in that career path; he'd gotten too many complaints about his lack of structure and homework assignments.

Harry smiles back. "I see." He wants to ask more but doesn't want to sound nosy or make the man uncomfortable. "Are you familiar with anything Muggle?" he asks instead.

"Not really," Nigel admits, trying not to look surprised at the abrupt subject change. "I didn't travel outside wizarding areas much and when I did, I found things so confusing." He doesn't have anything against Muggles, like some wizards, but he hasn't spent much time around them and generally found everything about them odd and confusing. Technology, for instance, just makes his head hurt.

Harry just nods, not at all bothered. "Well, we were just going to relax for awhile, watch some telly." At Nigel's confused expression, he just smiles. "It's a Muggle thing. You'll see."

Draco is up and sorting through the DVDs a moment later, muttering to himself as he goes through the various titles. Harry finds himself surprised at how many they've amassed as he watches Draco running a finger along the sides of the slim boxes lined up on a shelf. He hadn't even realized it was such a large collection! Draco finally finds one he wants to watch since he holds one up with a triumphant 'Aha!' and immediately sets to putting it in the player.

As Draco sits down next to Joe, he snatches the remote from him with a smirk and starts the movie. He looks around a moment later, finger poised over the 'play' button. "Oh. Should we wait for Lupin?"

Harry shrugs. "I don't know. He might be a moment with Teddy. I guess we'll give him five minutes or so. I don't even know if he's seen a movie before."

Remus is down 6 minutes later and thoroughly enjoys the movie, marveling at all the strange Muggle actors. Draco had picked an older comedy, convinced by the teenager at the store it was great, though the wizards had no clue what made it funny. Everything was strange in Muggle movies to begin with, so the parodies to other movies were lost on them.

As soon as the movie ends, Remus and Nigel say 'good night' and head to bed, claiming Teddy is an early riser. Seth complains loudly that he isn't tired and is somehow able to talk Draco and Joe into watching another movie with him. Draco shrugs and only offer 'No horror movies' as his condition to watching another movie.

Harry is being pulled off the sofa by Jake, "C'mon. I'm ready for bed." Jake's gaze is focused on his mouth before drifting down his body, making him aware 'bed' doesn't mean 'tired'. Tingling heat prickles through him and he fights the urge to run up the stairs. Or wrap himself around Jake and just wiggle.

"Good night everyone!" he calls over his shoulder, still being dragged from the room by Jake. "Draco! Don't forget to show Seth which room is his." He sees Draco wave a hand at him, dismissing him, without taking his eyes off the telly.

"I should have taken the brat home," Jake mutters as they make their way up the stairs. He scowls lightly, briefly thinking about Seth making gooey eyes and kissy faces at him as he drags Harry from the room. "Now he's going to be here in the morning, bugging me."

Harry laughs, squeezing Jake's hand. "So? Isn't he always bugging you?"

"Yeah," Jake says with a stiff nod. He doesn't mind really; he gives Seth as good as he gets. But this... this is something he's feeling awkward enough about without Seth adding his childish bullshit on top of it.

He blushes, remembering Seth's teasing as they headed back with the food earlier. "He was teasing me earlier. About you. And me. _Doing_ stuff."

Harry looks over at Jake, raising an eyebrow in question. "Doing stuff? Why Jake, are you trying to get in my pants?" he asks with a grin, stopping right in front of his bedroom door to turn and look at Jake. Jake's cheeks are pink and his eyes are darting around, looking everywhere but at him.

"Just because you're staying over, doesn't mean we have to 'do stuff'," he says softly. He, of course, had _hoped_ , but he's not going to push. He steps closer to Jake, wrapping his arms around Jake's waist and relaxing against him fully, nuzzling his cheek against a warm, firm chest. "We can just snuggle, cuddle, you know," he says, tightening his hold on Jake a bit. "Whatever you want." He really isn't going to protest if Jake wants to do more, though; he's happy with the progress they've made.

Jake holds Harry a moment, calm in his presence. "No, I know. It's just... I want to," he finally manages to say, his hands tightly fisted in Harry's t-shirt as he finally meets Harry's eyes. The warmth in those green eyes relaxes him and he runs his hands along Harry's back.

He smiles a little when Harry leans into him, humming almost inaudibly as his hands move. "He was teasing me because I was nervous about… it." He snorts, "Like Seth would know anything—he's a virgin, too." And with zero prospects for changing that anytime soon.

Harry hides a grin against Jake's chest. "Well, ignore him. He's just having you on because he can. If you didn't let him wind you up, he'd get bored of it." He presses closer to Jake, resting his chin on Jake's chest as he looks up with a smile. "I think we should have a bath," he says, nodding once. Baths are relaxing _and_ he'll have a chance to get his soapy hands all over Jake.

Jake blushes all over again but nods eagerly and practically drags Harry into the bedroom, leading the way to the huge en suite bathroom. He looks around the large white room, his eyes landing on the massive tub last. "Holy shit," he breathes. "That thing is big enough for like four people." He's seen the tub before, having been in Harry's room numerous times, but he's never really paid any real attention to anything past the toilet.

Hot, sparkling desire tingles through him as he imagines the two of them in the tub together. He has to shake his head when the thought of slick, naked skin and steamy heat gets to be a little overwhelming.

"Yeah," Harry snorts a laugh, already stripping his clothes off. He drops his t-shirt to the floor, "but I'm not keen on inviting anyone else to join us." Jake shakes his head, whether in agreement or what he doesn't know. He steps past Jake to turn on the tub and dumps in some bubbles, a pleasant musky vanilla scent wafting through the steam immediately.

He shimmies out of his pants and raises an eyebrow at Jake. Jake's still fully clothed. "Well, let's go. Do Americans take baths fully clothed?" he asks with a grin.

Jake's gaze drops, taking in the length of Harry's body. He shakes his head again. "No." He still makes no moves to disrobe, his attention fully on Harry's naked body. He hasn't seen many people naked, and no one for _this_ reason, but he thinks Harry is perfect. He wants to run his hands all over his smooth pale skin, feeling the lithe muscles bunch and move under his hands.

He slowly approaches Harry, raising a finger to trace along a scar that is just visible on Harry's arm. "How did I not notice these before?" he asks quietly, mostly to himself. Harry has numerous scars, most of them on his upper body. He easily picks Harry up, walks a few steps and places him on the counter.

Jake wiggles his way between Harry's thighs to stand closer to him. "Did you hide these before?" he asks, his thumb sliding along another scar as he looks Harry in the eye. He's distantly aware that Harry isn't trying to cover himself and he feels a flood of affection squirm warmly through him.

Harry shakes his head, "No." And he hadn't. He used to glamour them, especially the one on his forehead. Since coming to America, he let the glamours fall, feeling secure in the knowledge that no one here knew him.

"Why did I not see them before?" Jake asks quietly, his finger sliding over a long scar that crosses Harry's ribs. It isn't important, not really. He's just a little confused. This isn't the first time he's seen Harry without clothes, but it is the first time he that he's seen him completely naked. Did he not see the scars before because he didn't care to notice the 'imperfections'? Not to mention he was usually quite distracted—his focus on various parts and not the whole.

He looks up and notices the bathroom's bright lights, assuming they are the reason why he now sees everything.

"Tell me about them?" Jake asks quietly, a strong desire to know everything about Harry. He gently drags his thumb softly along a scar curving around Harry's hipbone, an indescribable ache going through him as he does. It's a long, deep looking scar and he somehow knows it must have been bad to have scarred so badly.

He looks at Harry, hoping he isn't embarrassed or uncomfortable. He smiles when Harry only looks curious, his green eyes seeming to ask why he wants to know.

Harry looks around Jake, checking the tub. It was only half full, bubbles foaming around the spigot and filling the room with a spicy fragrance. "Well, that one—" He nods down at the one Jake is still touching, "I got just after the war. A knife. Of all the Muggle things for a dark wizard to embrace." He shakes his head, a wry sort of smile lifting one side of his mouth. He doesn't want to mention that it had almost killed him, but by the look on Jake's face he seems aware of it anyway. Jake's eyes are dark, swimming with concern and anger, probably because he had to endure such things; it's just such a Jake thing to do and he can't help kissing the man, keeping it brief.

He spends the next few moments telling Jake a short story behind each scar when Jake rubs a finger or his thumb over them one by one.

By the time he is explaining a crescent shaped scar on his bicep, a memento from an ex-Death Eater that attacked him in his Animagus form (a manky little fox), he starts to strip Jake. Jake doesn't protest when he pulls his shirt over his head—just stands quietly, gaze locked on his. Jake is pliant as he pops the button on his jeans, dragging his feet down Jake's legs to pull them down. Jake is equally silent when he hooks his thumbs in the elastic of his briefs, dragging them slowly over his thighs to pool at his feet.

Jake runs the pad of his fingers over the faded scar on Harry's forehead, making him shiver with pleasure. He doesn't know if it's just because it's Jake touching him that causes the reaction—he's always associated it with pain before.

"Harry," Jake murmurs, "I want you to know I still think you're beautiful." He flushes, again feeling like he's said something embarrassing, but he has to tell Harry. The smaller man looked so self aware showing him all his scars; matter-of-fact, not shy or even proud. The one on Harry's hip made him nearly shy away from his hand, it was the one that was the most vivid. He doesn't want Harry to think it makes him less attractive or undesirable.

He flushes again, feeling like a pervert, when he realizes he _likes_ Harry's scars. "I, uh, I like them," he mumbles, looking somewhere above Harry's shoulder. Harry's eyes are dark, but sparking with something that makes his chest clench pleasantly. He goes with the motion when Harry forces him to look up at him, a finger under his chin urging his face up.

"Really?" Harry asks, his voice low and husky and Jake likes it very much, if the twitch he feels against his thigh is any indicator. He briefly glances down, enjoying the view.

Jake nods, a sheepish smile on his face and steps closer to Harry, very aware of Harry's cock brushing wetly against his stomach. "Well, yeah." He doesn't know what else to say so he leans down and kisses Harry lovingly, letting his lips caress and slide along Harry's as his hands come up to brush through the dark locks at the base of Harry's neck.

"I'm sorry you have them," he mumbles against Harry's lips when he pulls back a little, "but they're you," he says simply with a shrug. He leans down enough to grab Harry underneath, holding him close. "So, bath?"

"Mhm," Harry nods with a smile. "Bath." He leans down, resting his cheek on Jake's chest. Not even caring if the bath has overflowed by now but luckily it hasn't. As they get in the water, some slops over the edge and he just shrugs when Jake gives him an apologetic look. "I'll get it later, don't worry about it." He waves a hand dismissively.

"Lean back," he instructs Jake, pressing a hand on his chest. A squishy bath pillow is charmed to appear and Jake leans back, grabbing him around the middle and settling him in the V of his legs. He grins as Jake sighs with pleasure when he settles back against his chest.

"I've never taken a bath with someone else before," Jake admits a few minutes later.

They've just been lying back, enjoying the warmth of the water and each others presence. A sponge floats by and he grabs it and starts to rub soapy circles on Harry's chest and shoulders. Harry's head tilts forward with a soft groan of pleasure, giving him more room to swipe the sponge along his shoulder blades and down his back. He watches as the soapy water trails a path down between Harry's shoulder blades and licks his lips at the urge to follow the trail with his mouth.

Harry hums, leaning back against Jake's chest a moment later, his hands disappearing under the bubbles to run along Jake's thighs. He wiggles his arse backwards, a grin spreading on his face as he feels Jake's erection pressing against his arse. He turns slightly to look at Jake over his shoulder, pleased to see his face flushed and his eyes looking a little glazed over with arousal.

"Are you ready to get out yet?" he asks as he pulls the sponge from Jake's hand and drops it in the bath water, not caring where it floats off to.

Jake shakes his head, moaning softly when Harry's soap-slick hand closes around him, sliding up and down his shaft. He groans softly when Harry lets go but moans loudly Harry moves and he feels the crack of Harry's ass slide along his erection, his whole body shifting back along his slick shaft so Harry is resting flush with his hips. Harry wiggles his hips, letting his cock slide further into the snug crease between Harry's soap slicked cheeks. It feels amazing and he's too turned on to worry about his earlier concerns.

"Harry," Jake breathes. He doesn't know what else he wants to say, he's just proud of himself for being kind of coherent. He hears Harry hum again and a hand slides across his thighs to grip his cock again, holding it so Harry can wiggle his hips against him again. Jake moans, his mind going into overdrive as he imagines what it would feel like to sink into Harry.

He grabs Harry's hip, stilling his movements when they start to increase. "No," he breathes, "not here." The idea of having sex in the tub is tempting, waiting unbearable, but he wants to be in a bed the first time. Romance and all that.

Harry's slick body slides through his hands and he's facing him, his knees somehow perched on top of his thighs and holding himself steady. Harry's mouth is on his a moment later, kissing him deeply. It's wet, mostly teeth and tongues and so different than any other kiss they've shared, but he realizes why and it's fucking perfect. Harry's moaning into his mouth, and he realizes his hand is firmly wrapped around Harry's cock.

Jake looks down, moaning loudly when Harry's fist closes around both their cocks. He watches as Harry's hand moves, the sensation of Harry's hand and cock gliding against his is indescribably erotic. He doesn't even notice their movements are making obscene slapping sounds and water is spilling out of the tub at regular intervals.

He focuses on the erotic image Harry makes, splayed out over him, panting and moaning as his arm flexes. He's so close, he doesn't know how Harry can drive him over the edge so fast. His whole body tightens up as he comes, his face pressed into the crook of Harry's shoulder. He feels drunk with pleasure and Harry's scent.

He doesn't realize he's had his teeth latched on to Harry's shoulder until he opens his eyes and sees the shallow indents of his teeth in Harry's flushed skin. He gently grazes a finger across them, an apology on his lips until Harry shakes his head sharply. The kiss Harry places on his lips is soft and full of affection, hands gentle on his face and his teeth lightly nibble on his bottom lip as he pulls away.

"Feels brilliant," Harry murmurs, referring to the teeth marks, his finger tracing along the marks. He carefully slides forwards, leaning against Jake as they both catch their breaths. He hadn't intended to wank Jake but he hadn't been able to help himself when Jake groaned like that and started humping into his fist.

He smiles when Jake finally stops starting guiltily at the teeth marks. It's a little tender but not nearly as painful as Jake seems to think.

Harry pokes a finger into Jake's chest, rousing him from what appears to either be a light doze or a post-orgasmic happy haze. "Jake," he murmurs, his voice low and husky again. "We can get out now."

Jake nods, wrinkling his nose slightly. The water has cooled quite a bit and he has no real interest in staying in the bathtub any more.

He carefully steps out and helps Harry out, grabbing two big white towels and wrapping Harry up first. He uses a corner to ruffle his hair, drying it slightly before drying himself. Harry grins at him, dropping the towel with a flourish before he walks out, towards the bed.

Jake moans deep in his throat at the sight of Harry's pert round ass swaying slightly as he walks. His hands twitch with the desire to grab it. He hurries after Harry, his mouth watering as Harry crawls across the bed towards the headboard. He stares at Harry's butt and thigh muscles flex as Harry rolls a little, his hand reaching for a drawer in the bedside table. He's entranced, watching his muscles move and bunch with each movement.

Harry turns, a wolf-like grin on his face as he tosses a small bottle towards Jake. "Catch," he says playfully as he lays down on his back, smiling when Jake easily snatches the bottle from the air. Jake's gaze hungrily roam his body as he spreads his legs and bends his knees, unabashedly revealing himself to Jake. Any discomfort at being on display like this is squashed by the hot look he's getting.

"C'mere," he says, crooking a finger imperiously when he sees Jake is still standing there, the bottle of lube clutched in one tight fist. He spares a brief moment to be glad he kept the cap on.

Jake scrambles onto the bed, settling himself between Harry's thighs after a moment's hesitation. He reaches a hand out, caressing Harry's thigh, soft hair tickling his palm, sliding up to finger the crease between Harry's thigh and groin. The skin is soft but there's a definite underlying edge of muscle and bone. Fuck, that's sexy, too.

"Should I?" he asks, almost shyly, raising the bottle of lube up. He wants to kiss and spend hours on foreplay, but he's a little too worked up for that sort of patience right now. The look Harry gives him says he's feeling the same.

Harry nods, licking his bottom lip. "Yes," he breathes. "Fuck, yes, Jake." He shifts his hips, spreading his thighs wider, giving Jake better access.

Jake's gaze flicks from Harry's cock, which is steadily hardening again, to his ass. He's not sure he remembers what to do, so he looks up into Harry's eyes, letting his nerves show. "You'll tell me if it hurts, right?" he finally asks quietly. He's tempted to ask for instructions but he doesn't want Harry to think he's not ready. He _is_ , he's just... nervous again.

"It'll be fine, love," Harry says, wigging his hips again. "Just—Merlin, just do it, Jake." He smiles when Jake's eyes flick back up to meet his, before staring at the bottle in his hand. His thumb pops the cap and he carefully upends the bottle, squirting the clear fluid on his fingers. Harry smiles again when he sees Jake rubbing his fingers together, warming the liquid. "Ready," he reminds Jake rolling his hips in invitation.

Jake nods, biting his bottom lip and a look of concentration settles onto his face. He leans over, one hand resting on Harry's thigh and the other cautiously lowers. "Slow," he mutters to himself. He reaches one finger out, slowly circling. His eyes go wide at the sexy moan Harry lets loose as soon as he touches him.

He looks up, relief relaxing his shoulders when he sees Harry's face is relaxed with pleasure; his dark brows slightly furrowed and his lips parted slightly. He slides his index finger in slowly, wiggling it slightly past the tight furl of muscle. "Oh fuck," he moans. Harry is so hot inside. He feels his own cock twitching but he ignores that he is half hard again, keeping his focus on Harry when his hips twitch again, encouraging Jake deeper.

"Two now," Harry murmurs.

Jake just nods, feeling relief at the instruction. He can't help but to keep looking down, where his finger is buried deep inside Harry, to Harry's face, anxiously looking for signs of discomfort. There isn't any and his second finger joins the first, wiggling them a bit, and he quickly adds another when he hears a husky 'More' from Harry and his hips start move with purpose, trying to fuck himself on Jake's fingers.

He's lost in the sensation of Harry's body gripping him tightly, he adds another. He watches as his fingers slide in and out of Harry's body, the erotic wet sounds from the lube and Harry's panting moans seem so loud in the otherwise quiet room. He remembers something from the book and experimentally moves his fingers around until he feels something a little different. Harry twitches almost violently, making a sound between a scream and a moan.

Jake moves his fingers again, wanting to make Harry make that sound again. He's watching Harry closely, gaze roaming his face now just to enjoy the expression of pure pleasure he sees; Harry's face is flushed, dark strands plastered messily on his sweaty forehead. His eyes are half open and Jake can just barely see his dilated green eyes rolling back in his head as he moans again, his back arching off the bed slightly.

Now that is sexy.

He rotates his hand at the wrist and leans down enough to kiss Harry's thigh and his hipbone, his tongue darting out to taste him. He hums happily at the lingering taste on his tongue.

"Jake," Harry pants, his hands grabbing around Jake's shoulders tightly. He moans as Jake's fingers deliberately and firmly brush against the bundle of nerves again. His feet come up and lock behind Jake's hips, pulling him closer. He grabs a handful of Jake's hair and pulls him in for a messy kiss. And _fuck_ if Jake isn't a quick study when the fingers inside him rotate and press _just so_.

Jake barely has time to lube himself up before Harry's hand is wrapped around his cock and lining him up. He groans softly at the teasing touch just before he's sharply pushed inside by Harry's heels pressing into his ass. "Oh fuck," he chokes out, the feeling of being buried in Harry's tight heat nearly makes him come right then and there.

He grits his teeth and takes a few deep breaths, hoping he can control himself. He wanted to slide in slow, but Harry didn't give him the chance and he's overcome with sensations. He puts his hands on Harry's face, bending down to pepper kisses along his face, and down his damp neck. His tongue darts out, reveling in the taste of Harry. He feels his stomach squirm with emotion as he looks down at Harry again, taking in his flushed look of bliss.

Jake kisses him softly again. "Give me a minute," he mutters against Harry's lips. Harry nods and whimpers softly. Jake pulls back and frowns a little as he looks down at Harry, concerned. "Am I hurting you?" he asks, preparing to pull out and maybe try again, that gentle slide like he'd originally planned.

"Fuck no," Harry breathes, his head wobbling a bit from side to side. "I just want you to move." He reaches up, pulling Jake closer, wanting to feel the hard press of Jake's body against his. "You feel so good inside me. But I can wait until you're ready," he murmurs.

He passes the time sliding his hands up and down Jake's sweaty back, his fingers dipping and gliding along the ridges and contours of muscle. He smooths his palms along Jake's hot-warm skin, feeling it break into goose bumps. He can feel Jake shaking with effort and resists the urge to clamp his arse around Jake, wanting to drive him insane but he doesn't want to end things too soon.

Jake makes a strangled sound in his throat as Harry's palms slide down and he grips Jake's arse firmly in both hands, pushing him in just a bit deeper. "I hope you're ready," Harry murmurs.

Jake grunts a reply and moves. His rolls his hips, moving slowly, finding a rhythm and building up the pleasurable friction. On impulse, he grabs Harry's thigh, lifting it towards his chest. He seems to sink deeper on the next thrust, making Harry cry out and arch up against him. He's barely aware of the near constant flood of words coming out of his mouth as he thrusts repeatedly into Harry, focusing only on Harry's keening cries of pleasure.

He _needs_ to hear more.

Harry's eyes snap open, looking into Jake's with such heat and warmth, Jake feels a bit breathless and stills for a moment. He realizes he's begged Harry to look at him; he wants to see what they look like when Harry comes. He's having a hard time keeping his own open and focused on Harry, but he manages, feeling himself practically drown in Harry's eyes. Harry's head tilts back slightly, still managing to keep eye contact, and he's babbling Jake's name constantly. Harry's fingers scrabble along his shoulders, digging in but only causing the pleasure to spike and increase as he orgasms.

Jake can't hold out against the hot sensation of Harry's come spattering in a hot-wet splatter across their bellies and chests. Or the rhythmic tightening of Harry squeezing around him. It's like everything combines to pull his own orgasm from him, making his vision flash bright, almost golden, for a long moment as everything tightens and loosens in a crazy, mind-numbing way. Harry's legs wrap shakily around him again, keeping them pressed together as he comes. It feels like it goes on forever and he's not sure if his toes will ever uncurl.

He drops limply, feeling boneless and unable to hold himself up any longer. He tries to roll to the side but Harry's arms tighten around him, keeping him sprawled on top of him. He doesn't want to move, it feels quite perfect where he is, but he doesn't want to squish Harry.

"I'm not squishing you?" Jake mumbles against Harry's damp neck. He presses light kisses along Harry's neck and shoulder, causing a light shiver to work through his wizard as his oversensitive skin prickles pleasantly with gooseflesh.

"No," Harry whispers. He finds the energy to squeeze his arms around Jake. "You're fine," he assures. His legs finally unwrap from Jake's waist to flop onto the bed, his muscles feeling like jelly.

He's sure he saw some kind of blinding golden light at some point and finds himself asking Jake about it. He feels Jake nodding against his neck. 'Huh' is all he can think of to say. His brain is still delightfully fuzzy so he puts further thoughts off until later.

He shifts slightly, finally feeling the effects of Jake's heavy body lying on top of him. He doesn't want to move, but Jake is just too big for the position for any length of time. He winces slightly as he feels Jake slide out just before he flops onto the bed next to him. He quickly snuggles against Jake's side, smiling when Jake throws an arm and leg over him possessively.

Jake wraps an arm tightly around Harry, his mind jumping around so many thoughts at once he groans softly. "Is it usually like that?" he finally asks. He can understand why so many guys are so preoccupied with sex if that's the case. He'll never have more than 5 seconds of peaceful thinking, he's sure.

"No," Harry says and shakes his head firmly against Jake's chest. His hand slides up Jake's chest to twine with Jake's, their fingers slotting together, and resting on Jake's chest. "It's never been that mind-blowing," he admits. He's not saying to stroke Jake's ego, it's just the plain truth. He hears Jake snort softly in response. "I'm serious, Jake." He nearly props himself up so he can glare down at Jake to make his point, but he doesn't.

Jake is quiet a moment. "Okay," he finally murmurs, letting his eyes drift closed, loving the feeling of Harry pressed close against him as they drift to sleep. Even without the added bonus of sex, it's wonderful to finally be able to fall asleep with his Harry.

~oOo~

As the movie credits roll, Draco stretches, satisfying snaps and crackles coming from his back. "I'm knackered."

"Huh?" Seth asks, his hand reaching for the abandoned remote sitting on the coffee table.

"Tired," Draco explains, rolling his eyes but smiling. He gives Joe a pointed look, before standing. "I'm off to bed. G'night Seth," he says around a yawn.

Seth waves the remote at him, tucking his feet under him on the sofa so Joe and Draco can scoot past him. He spares them one glance then shrugs, ready to enjoy the sweet cable hook-up Draco insisted on when they'd moved in.

"Oh, Seth, the first door on the right is yours. The blue one," Draco clarifies before disappearing up the stairs.

Seth nods, even though Draco is no longer in sight. He changes the channels rapidly, stopping when he catches sight of a horror movie his mom would never let him watch. He smirks, Leah would shit a gold one if she saw him watching it. He settles into the sofa to enjoy the movie, absently wondering if he should mention to Draco or Harry that they need a microwave so they can have popcorn next time. Movies are always better with popcorn.

Joe sneaks a glance around the corner, happy to see Seth is completely engrossed in watching some scary, blood soaked movie, not even caring it's on a movie channel so all the screaming, buckets of gore and body parts isn't going to be edited out. "I don't see a blue door," he mentions to Draco as they're walking up the stairs.

Draco raises an eyebrow at him and smirks. He waves his wand in one of those swooping twirls and Joe looks up to see the closest door turn from white into a blue color, the color swirling through the wood until the whole door is blue.

"Oh. Well. Now I do," Joe says with a chuckle. Draco grabs his hand, needlessly pulling him towards their room. As soon as the door closes behind him and Draco has cast a strong silencing charm, he's pressed against the wood, Draco's lips insistently on his. He hums with pleasure, his hands coming up to gently fist in soft, pale hair. He loves running his hands through Draco's hair; it's so soft and always smells amazing. He often lets his hands wander up to his face just so he can sniff the lingering scent.

Draco makes a soft noise of impatience, his hands yanking at the hem of Joe's shirt. He wants his Joe naked; now. Joe pulls back just long enough to let the material pass over his head, immediately claiming his mouth again as soon as the shirt is on the floor. He trails his tongue along Joe's lips, sucking and biting gently between panting kisses. Doing everything he knows to drive Joe crazy.

Joe grunts softly, walking into Draco so he backs towards the bed, still attached at the lips, unwilling to break the sloppy kisses for a moment. He fumbles at the buttons on Draco's shirt, quite glad he doesn't have to pull it over the blonde's head and moans softly at the sensation of Draco's skin pressed against his. He pushes the shirt all the way off, uncaring where it lands as Draco arches against him, a needy little whine sounding in the back of his throat.

He pauses for a moment, looking at his blonde. Draco is always passionate, but his actions seem almost frantic. His brow furrows.

"Draco," Joe murmurs. He pushes Draco gently when his knees hit the edge of the mattress, causing the blonde to tumble gracefully onto his back. Draco's limbs are spread out, his pale chest is heaving and his eyes have darkened to a steel-grey as he looks at Joe hovering over him. Joe watches a pink tongue flick over Draco's lips in anticipation as he climbs onto the bed, crawling until he's hovering over Draco's prone body.

He leans down just enough to kiss Draco again, another soft needy noise coming from Draco as hands quickly moving to unbutton his jeans. "Eager, huh?" he asks, a laugh in his voice.

Draco just nods, his bottom lip clamped between his white teeth, his hands already working his jeans and underwear down in one swift move. Draco doesn't seem to care the material is bunched at his bent knees as both hands close around Joe's cock.

Joe's eyes flutter closed, groaning softly as his hips twitch, pushing into Draco's hold that much more. He's never known someone to use both hands before and the sensation is fantastic. He moans softly when both hands work him with growing confidence, the touch still new enough to be a little unsure but still amazingly erotic.

"Wait, wait!" he breathes, dropping down to one elbow so he can finish undressing Draco. He loves to see all that pale skin displayed just for him, run his hands over it and watch it flush the most amazing shade of pink with Draco's pleasure and excitement. He nips one pale thigh, smiling when Draco bucks into his face with a gasped moan. He circles his tongue around Draco's navel, nipping at the pale skin just under it, kissing down the line of fine hair.

Draco lifts his hips, helping Joe to remove his trousers, kicking his feet to drop them to the floor. He's too damn worked up to worry about how eager or wanton he appears; he needs Joe. _Now_. Joe raises an eye brow at his lack of pants. He just smirks and grabs Joe's hand, pulling him down, kissing him hard as he directs Joe's hot-warm, agile fingers just under his balls. He groans lowly as fingers gently flutter against his skin.

"Fuck," he breathes, body moving into Joe's touch.

Joe barely has time to enjoy the hard cock near his hand, he almost wants to jerk his hand away from Draco's hold so he can, but he allows Draco to continue directing him. "You horny little bastard," he murmurs affectionately when his fingers hit stiff rubber. His eyes flutter closed as he realizes Draco's been walking around with a plug shoved in his ass; for _hours_ , most likely. "Oh fuck me," he groans, circling a finger around the edge of the rubber flush against Draco's body.

He can feel the slicked muscle twitching erotically and he's sure his cock gets even harder. He can feel a steady dribble dampening his underwear and rubbing almost uncomfortably.

"Yes," Draco moans, agreeing completely as he spreads his legs wider. He's so past caring how slutty he looks. Besides, Joe is enjoying the display. He smirks, his cheeks flushed. "I didn't want to lose the wonderful stretch you worked so hard on this morning," he stammers, barely getting the sentence out as moans and sharp gasps break the words up as Joe gently strokes his cock, wrapping around the base. Fingers tease along the edges of the plug, caressing and then sliding up and tugging gently.

He isn't sure how he went so long without pouncing on Joe until now; his whole body tingled for hours. He nearly came in his pants when Joe fondled him at the table during dinner.

He looks up into Joe's eyes, dark with lust and focused on him alone. He shivers with pleasure. He arches up with a surprised shout when Joe bends swiftly, a hot-warm, wet mouth engulfing his cock a moment later. Joe's cheeks hollow and he moans at the erotic sight. He prefers when he can properly worship Joe's cock but he's not complaining to have the tables turned. Not as warm-hot hands slide all over his body, reducing him to a pile of nerve endings screaming with pleasure and want.

"Joe, please," Draco moans. He summons lube wand-lessly, briefly feeling a flare of pride; he's been practicing the past week.

Joe shudders as magic flutters over him and he leans up enough to catch the lube before it can smack Draco in the face. He shuffles closer to Draco, slicking himself with one hand while the other deftly removes the slicked plug, giving it a teasing wiggle as he does. A deep moan erupts from him as he stares at the slick-shiny sight, ready and waiting for him. He's so hard he can barely get upset he didn't get to spend long minutes stretching and pleasuring his blonde again.

He carelessly tosses the rubber plug over his shoulder, lifts one of Draco's legs to his shoulder and slides into Draco in one swift, smooth move. "Fuck yeah," he sighs.

A long shuddering moan is all Draco can manage as Joe finally fills him. His eyes flutter closed as he feels Joe wrap one hand around his hip and the other slides long, slow strokes down his leg, making the skin tingle pleasantly, then up to his toes, making them curl. "Oh fuck," he moans. He was so close to orgasm before they even started, he's not surprised he can already feel it sneaking up on him. It's almost unfair at how soon it's happening, but he can't argue when he's feeling boneless with pleasure. "Close," he warns.

Joe snaps his hips sharply, happy he's as close as Draco already. Seeing his blonde stretched and ready did amazing things to his libido. One of Draco's hands is lying over his and their fingers intertwine tightly as he moves, the gesture almost automatic. No matter how much lust Draco easily brings out in him, he can't ever seem to just fuck the blonde. It always turns into something _more_ , something that always feels like the pleasure is being torn right from his very core. It's humbling, especially when he sees the same feeling reflected back from Draco; his grey eyes looking glazed with pleasure, warm with affection and surprise.

And yeah, he _gets_ it; it's just as much of a surprise to him to have found something so fucking perfect.

His whole body is covered in sweat as he snaps his hips at a hard pace, moving hard enough to have Draco reaching for the headboard with his free hand, needing leverage and to keep his head from banging against it. He'd hold back but he knows Draco loves it; his moans only get louder and the grip his blonde has on him only tightens.

Joe manages to free a hand to caress down Draco's chest, his fingers splaying over the pale skin, bringing his orgasm closer as he watches one dusty pink nipple pebble under his touch. He grits his teeth, holding off as long as he can. It's not something he's very good at, though. Draco just effects him too damn easily.

Draco grunts Joe's name, moaning and mutters numerous curses and filthy words as Joe pounds into him. "Oh fuck," he gasps as he twitches, his back arches beautifully and comes between their sweaty bodies. He flops, his body relaxed as his orgasm lingers with Joe's movements. He hooks a leg behind Joe's hips, enjoying the soft grunts from Joe as his rhythm gets a bit erratic.

Joe almost sighs with relief, letting Draco's twitching channel draw out his own orgasm finally. He stopped worrying about 'safe sex' when Draco explained what a protection charm is and he has to admit he loves the feeling of Draco's come-slicked ass squeezing tightly around him.

He finally stills, breathing heavily. He wraps his arms around Draco and rolls carefully, laying Draco on top of his chest before relaxing. His hands bury into damp pale hair, massaging his fingers along Draco's damp scalp, enjoying the quiet hums of sated pleasure he can feel coming from Draco.

"Hmm," Draco hums, contentedly. "So amazing," he murmurs, his head turning so he can place a line of kisses along Joe's sweaty neck and shoulder. His tongue slides out, tasting the salty skin. He thought the idea of licking sweat off someone would be disgusting but something about Joe just makes it bloody erotic. Especially when he's all sweaty from giving Draco a fantastic pounding into the mattress. He doesn't move, enjoying the full feeling of Joe still nestled in his arse.

Joe chuckles softly, one of his fingers making a trail down the back of Draco's neck to swirl random patterns on his back. "Yeah," he agrees. "I'm thinking you should do that more often," he adds, his voice thoughtful. He draws a circle around the slight dimples over Draco's ass, enjoying the shiver of pleasure that makes Draco squirm lightly against him. He groans softly at the idea and nearly changes his mind. He'd fuck them both raw if Draco did this with any sort of regularity.

"Maybe," Draco snorts softly. "It was bloody torture, though. Fuck," he whispers fervently, "I was hard for _hours_."

Joe blinks before chuckling. "I thought so," he says, remembering seeing Draco earlier and walking a bit... funny. And he'd looked (and smelled) turned on, even hours after they'd made love that morning. "I was so ready to grab you and drag you into the nearest bathroom but there was company coming and I was sure we'd be missed."

He didn't have to add that they probably would have been left alone. _Probably_. It was hard to guess sometimes. Harry is better at leaving them alone, especially when they wander off to be alone together. Jake, however, tends to be clueless still. He's hoping that changes (either because Harry tells Jake why or shows him, firsthand, why a couple needs to be left the fuck alone sometimes). Soon.

He loses track of time as their breathing settles and he's still wrapped around Draco as he lies on top of him. Their bodies have calmed and the sweat has dried. He bites off a moan when he feels Draco shifting against him, his softening cock starting to harden again still buried in Draco.

"Draco, stop that," Joe says, sounding a bit breathless and pleading. "I don't I can go again."

Draco wiggles again, leaning up slightly to look down at Joe with a wicked smirk on his face. "I think your cock disagrees." He clenches his arse, drawing a loud moan from Joe. "Where's that super wolf energy?" he challenges, raising an eyebrow.

"Draco," Joe whines, wrapping his hands around Draco's hips in the hopes of holding the wiggling man still. "Stop, I don't think I can move, let alone shag you again." But oh, it's tempting. His fingers dig into Draco's hips, body quickly warming to the idea of round 2.

Draco snickers, enjoying Joe using words he learned from him. He's convinced 'shag' sounds much less crude than 'fuck', even after he explained they mean, essentially, the same thing. He shrugs, circling his hips around, enjoying the feeling of Joe hot under him and hard inside him. For all the protests, Joe's fully hard again, hips making lazy thrusts.

"Fine. You just lay there. _I'll_ do it," he says with a shrug. He moves his knees so he can get some leverage. He's never tried it this way before, preferring to do as little work as possible, but it's really good. The slide slick and easy with residual lube and Joe's come.

He notices the position easily brushes against his prostate after he works himself up and down a few times. "Oh fuck," Draco moans as Joe's cock fills him perfectly, presses and slides against that magnificent spot. "Oh, that's amazing," he breathes, shifting so he can lift himself faster, his hands splayed on Joe's chest for balance. He can feel Joe's hands on his hips, gripping him tightly, lifting and angling him _just so_ on each bounce.

Joe sticks to Draco's command and mostly lays there, shifting his hips up occasionally when Draco slides down, causing him to slam into Draco, making the blonde moan and curse loudly each time. "Draco," he says as he grits his teeth, surprised he's going to come. Again. The erotic image of Draco fucking himself in his lap, his blonde hair wild and plastered to his sweaty forehead and the incredible sensation of him sliding tightly up and down is enough to make his toes curl with the effort of holding back.

"Touch me," Draco growls, throwing his head back when Joe's hand immediately wraps around him. "Oh, fuck yeah." His hips can't seem to decide on an up and down motion or forwards, the resulting circling makes him nearly scream with pleasure as his prostate is roughly brushed and slammed into.

Joe wishes he's flexible enough to bite the pale neck while his Draco rides him, but he settles for stroking Draco's cock like he's been told to. Draco arches, his whole body twitching as he comes. "Don't stop," he pleads as Draco's movements stutter and slow. He only needs a few more spastic bounces from Draco before he comes too. He arches his neck, burying his head into the pillow when Draco's renewed movements finally bring him over a second time. He doesn't release his grip on Draco's hips, using his hold to grind up into Draco as rides it out.

"Oh wow," Draco breathes, flopping gracelessly forward onto Joe's heaving chest. "Amazing." He flops his head to the side, looking up at Joe, his silvery eyes practically smiling as he smirks. "You're a fucking animal," he teases.

Joe laughs, his arms squeezing Draco close. "Bet your ass," he says, affecting a haughty, smug tone. He leans down for a long, deep and sleepy kiss. He doesn't even bother covering them with a blanket before they both drop off heavily into sleep.

~oOo~

Harry's humming softly as he moves around the kitchen getting breakfast ready.

Teddy was up first, apparently testing Remus' wards to alert him when Teddy awoke and if he were to wander too far. Remus was relieved when the wards functioned properly and Teddy was happily playing with the Legos in the middle of his room. As soon as he saw Remus, he started dancing around loudly requesting breakfast; Pancakes and bacon. He is still singing his 'pancakes and bacon' song as he sits at the table, waiting patiently for Harry to finish cooking.

"Morning," Draco grumbles, shuffling over to the coffee pot and slopping coffee haphazardly into a mug. He dumps in some sugar and doesn't even bother to stir it before taking a large gulp, seemingly oblivious to the heat. "Ahhhh," he sighs happily. "I love coffee." He looks up and notices Harry humming and practically dancing around the kitchen. "Good night?" he asks, a knowing smirk on his face.

Harry lifts two fingers at Draco but smiles, nodding. "Very." He pauses in moving bacon around the pan and gives Draco a sheepish look. "Erm, you and Joe; you've had sex right?"

He was pretty sure they have... Joe's spent every night here since they moved in, apparently his dad didn't care where he ended up and seemed quite pleased Joe didn't make it home most nights. That doesn't guarantee it but the way they've been touching and looking at each other gave Harry the biggest hint. There's a closeness to the couple that's hard to describe but he can only imagine has grown if they've been intimate.

Draco nods before taking another gulp of coffee. "Yes; why?"

Harry's eyes dart to the entryway of the kitchen, making sure they were alone. He steps closer and lowers his voice. "Did anything... weird happen the first time?" he asks, nervously.

Harry's eyes are almost pleading, and Draco has an idea what he's asking. He nods slowly, immediately putting off the idea of teasing the other wizard. "Yes. From what I read about it after the fact, it's like a wizarding bond," he says, swirling his mug gently. "It was quite amazing; a golden swirling lighted mist sort of thing. I, erm, wasn't really watching that closely," he admits, cheeks warm. "But I did notice it." Well, _Joe_ had noticed and asked about it.

Harry's eyes light up. "Really? Brilliant! OK, well..." He clears his throat and turns back to the bacon. "Thanks. That's—Well, that's good to know. It's only the once, right?" Jake asked that morning if it would happen every time, laughing and saying something about 'fireworks', grinning broadly at the idea of a light show every time they had sex.

"Yes." Draco laughs, "Just the once. Though—" He gives Harry a sly look, "now that the bond is consummated, it means conception is possible." He grins at Harry's gobsmacked expression, the spatula nearly dropping from limp fingers. "Merlin, Potter. Did you even _read_ the books Mother sent?" he asks, taking another sip of coffee.

Harry shakes his head, looking a cross between dazed and sheepish. "Not yet, we were going to look through them yesterday but it seemed rude to disappear for hours when Remus, Nigel and Teddy had just gotten here. Merlin," he breathes, sitting down heavily on a stool. "Erm, does that mean if there was a second go—" He waves his hands, making a demonstrative, vaguely obscene gesture, his cheeks pink.

"Oh, yes," Draco mocks a grave tone, amused by Harry. "Though, I would guess it would depend how long between... goes," he says, chuckling at Harry's pink face. "C'mon Potter, don't worry about it. I don't think there's been a wizard yet to get up the duff from one shagging."

Harry gives the blonde a shrewd look. "And I've never been known to beat any odds before, yeah."

Draco laughs, actually bending over and laughing harder with one hand on his knee, dangerously close to spilling his mug of coffee. "Oh fuck, you're fucked," he says with a smirk once he's calmed. "But, really, I wouldn't go assuming anything just yet. Read the bloody books. Oh, and your pancakes are burning," he says mildly, pointing at the pan and snickering when Harry jumps up wielding a spatula.

Harry talks Jake into taking Remus, Teddy and Nigel into town to show them around after breakfast. He's going to go insane if he doesn't get to look through the books Draco's mum sent and he wasn't able to if he thought he was ignoring his guests.

"I don't care where you go, show them some local culture and color," he says and shoves a wad of dollars in Jake's hand before he looks through the desk in the corner of the room and pulls out a sack, Galleons clinking quietly against each other. "Here, all set. I don't know what the American Wizarding currency is, but here's some Galleons if you happen to wander into a wizarding district."

Remus turns, giving Harry a curious look. "You haven't found one yet?" he asks.

"No, we haven't really bothered. We were able to deal with the various banks directly and," Harry shrugs, "haven't felt a strong urge to find wizarding areas around here. If there are any. Go. Have fun. I'll have dinner ready by six, so don't spoil your appetites." He doesn't include Jake in the sentiment, knowing full well the man could eat a full meal and still wolf down dinner. And dessert. And probably a late night snack shortly thereafter.

Jake searches for his keys then pulls Harry into a kiss. "See you later," he says against Harry's lips, but doesn't let go. He doesn't want to. He's nowhere near having his fill of touching his wizard and he's a bit embarrassed to realize he's getting turned on.

"Jake." Harry smiles, pushing lightly against Jake's chest. "Can't see me later if you don't go."

Jake sighs dramatically. "I know, I just don't wanna go." He pouts, pooching his bottom lip out. Harry tucks it back in with a finger, kissing him quickly after it's firmly in place. "Oh, I called my dad this morning. He said he'd love to come to dinner tonight. He wants me to take him to get something for dessert," he says and rolls his eyes, smiling. "I told him he didn't have to but he insisted."

"Well in that case," Harry leans back slightly, cupping a hand to his mouth. "DRACO!" he hollers, waiting for the irate blonde to come in the room. He finally does, a second mug of coffee steaming in his hand. "Can Jake borrow your car? It's bigger and he's going to need the room for Billy later."

Draco shrugs, summons his keys and tosses them to Jake. "Certainly. I expect it back in the condition it's going out in," he says and raises a pale brow at Jake. "Oh, and while you're out, we need more beer. I'm sure between all you drunken gits, we'll exhaust our supply in no time." With that he leaves the room.

Remus is chuckling, "Good to see he's still snarky," he grins. "Teddy! Get your hat, we're leaving now!"

A moment later Teddy runs in the room, a black beanie pulled down to his ears and his stuffed kneazle, Simon, clutched under his arm. "Okay, dad! I'm ready. Simon wants to see Spoons, too," he says, raising the plushie up for a moment before placing him securely back under his arm.

Jake chuckles. "Forks," he corrects Teddy, smiling so the kid doesn't think he's being mean. Teddy just shrugs with a grin, the tips of his hair blue. "Okay, let's head out. Sooner we leave, the sooner we get back," he says, looking at Harry pointedly. He thoroughly enjoys the way Harry gazes back with a hot look and the way his neck pinks with arousal.

"Have fun!" Harry calls out, waving as they head towards the car. He watches them climb in and drive away before backing into the house and closing the door. He sighs, running a hand through his hair and heads towards the library.


	7. Chapter 7

Harry is sitting on the large sectional sofa, the old book from Draco's mum cracked open on his lap. Draco flops onto the cushions next to him, startling him into making a loud squeaking noise and jumping, making the book slide off of his lap. "Draco," he whines, righting the heavy book back onto his lap.

Draco laughs, his hand patting Harry's arm. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't think you were that engrossed. I'm nearly finished," he announces proudly. He'd been outside most of the morning erecting wards around their property. The one Harry was looking forward to the most was the one that would allow them to fly on their brooms without anyone seeing them. He was looking forward to showing Jake he was not kidding about the fact they really flew on brooms.

"Sweet!" Harry says with a grin, wondering if Seth would enjoy that he's borrowing his words. "Maybe we can play a Seeker game?" he asks, leaning forward eagerly and shutting the book.

Draco pauses for a moment. "Not yet," he says, wanting to be able to surprise Harry later. "I didn't finish _all_ the wards, but I will have done by dinner. So." He stands and brushes the wrinkles from his trousers. "I will let you know the moment I finish them, yeah?" he says, getting a nod from Harry before he wanders out in search of Joe.

Harry sighs and reluctantly opens the book again. He hasn't learned anything new since the second book. He felt relief flood through him when he finally read through the steps to ensure conception. They hadn't done any sort of spells or preparatory potions at all. He blushes when he realizes he's going to have to share all of this with Jake.

They'd spent about an hour just laying in bed that morning, talking. Jake was trying to hide how excited he was about the whole thing but made it clear that they'd have to do things properly before they started a family. Jake's face was sad for a moment when he informed Harry that marriage isn't an option and looked confused when Harry smiled. When Jake had poked him, literally, for the reason Harry just kissed him and promised to tell him later, fully intending to tell him all about wizarding bonding ceremonies.

He rubs his eyes and stretches languidly, enjoying the pops and cracks. It's nearly 3 o'clock and he's almost forgotten to start dinner.

Harry wanders into the kitchen to check the refrigerator to see what they've got. He tries to keep the 'fridge full even though Seth visits frequently and empties it often. He mentally calculates how many people will be eating and finally settles on a huge roast. He pulls it from the shelf with a grunt and plops it on the counter. Merlin, it was the size of a small cow. He's going to have to cheat a little and use magic to make sure that thing cooks in time. He grins, Jake and his pack could eat twice that and still sniff around for dessert.

He's adding the last of the chopped vegetables to the roasting pan when he hears a car coming down the drive. He hears the gravel crunch and the sound of a car coming to a fast stop, he frowns as he checks the time. He didn't expect anyone back yet. He'd only just barely got everything in the oven. He sprinkles on some seasoning, drizzles oil over the whole mess and shoves everything in the oven.

Jake comes bursting in the front door just as Harry shuts the oven door, his eyes look frantic as he's looking around the house. "Harry?"

Harry rushes from the kitchen to find Jake in the hallway, his eyes darting around. As soon as he sees Harry, Jake runs over and pulls him in a tight hug before Harry can even say anything. He's being squished but can't get any air in his lungs to protest or ask what the problem is. Luckily Jake pulls back and his face is nearly taken up by a big smile and his eyes are dancing with joy.

"Harry! Come outside!" He doesn't wait for an answer, just grabs Harry by the wrist and drags him outside.

As they step off the porch, Harry sees people he'd never met before getting out of Draco's Expedition. They're all looking around the property and eyeing the large house with different expressions. An older woman is smoothing wrinkles out of her skirt and saying something to someone still in the car. A young woman is standing in the driveway, an ecstatic Teddy perched on one hip as she scowls at the house. Seth is bouncing out the car next, chattering a mile a minute to the girl holding Teddy and waving his arms around as he talks. Harry gets the distinct impression she'd be hitting him or cursing at him if she wasn't holding Teddy. Teddy's hair is bright blue, visible since he's taken off his cap at some point and he's giggling loudly at Seth as he kicks his feet gently in obvious joy.

Jake gives Harry another big grin before he lets go of him and jogs over to the car, going around the back and retrieving his dad's chair before he hurries to the passenger side and helps his dad out of the car and into his chair. He turns and makes an impatient waving gesture to everyone and nearly runs back to Harry (as he's pushing his dad, who's got a death grip on the arms of his chair as Jake speeds along) who's still standing on the walkway with a confused look on his face.

"Harry! Sorry we're early, I just couldn't wait," he says excitedly as he gets closer. He blushes and locks his dad's chair. "Harry, this is Leah," he says, pulling in her arm to bring her closer, waving a hand over her before he steps back next to Harry. "Leah, this is Harry," Jake says, his voice soft and full of sappiness but he doesn't care.

Harry just nods at the sour looking girl. She doesn't look particularly welcoming but at least she's not being outright rude. She's eyeing him sharply, obviously assessing him, and making him want to fidget. She's about an inch or so taller than he is and her dark brown hair is cut into a short, sleek bob. He notices her simple shorts and tank top he realizes that he's looking at a female werewolf. He leans slightly and sees the same tattoo on her upper arm that Jake has and smiles brightly at her. "Hullo," he says politely.

"Hi," Leah says shortly. Teddy is bouncing in his perch on her hip, she turns and looks at him her face softening in a smile before she looks back at Harry. "So," she says lazily, pausing and making another long study of Harry before she grins. "You're Harry, huh? Nice place," she tilts her head at the house and bends over to put down a wiggling Teddy. She watches him run off into the yard before she turns back, glaring at Jake and smacks his arm, hard by the sound and the slight wince from Jake. She's too annoyed to really care, besides he can take it.

"What took you so long to come visit, asshole?" she demands, her hands on her hips. Harry is reminded strongly of Hermione and he hides a smile.

Jake glares back at Leah and rubs his arm before he wraps it protectively around Harry as if expecting her to smack him next. "Leah, I already explained all that. Now, just shut it and enjoy being in Harry's big fancy house." Leah's still glaring but her gaze is drawn to the house again.

She purses her lips and whistles, shooting Jake a wink. "Fine. But for the record—" She wags a finger threateningly in his face, "I'm still pissed your pansy ass didn't come to see me sooner. I mean, really, Jake." She shakes her head and smiles up at him. Harry blinks, it seems an odd expression on her face, Jake's slightly wide eyes confirm his thoughts. "We've known each other since we made mud pies, how can you think I'd abandon you?" she snaps, her eyes are hard but pained, and Jake sighs.

"Leah, it all happened so fast. If Seth and Joe weren't actually there, I don't think I woulda gone to them either. So, _again_ , it wasn't anything personal against you. I was afraid you'd reject me, too," he says shortly, glaring at her when she tries to interrupt.

She snaps her mouth closed and crosses her arms over her chest, a dangerous looking scowl on her face but her eyes aren't as hard as they were before, Jake notes.

"Practically everyone else did and I didn't want to think about it for too long. Okay? Besides, I've been... preoccupied." He sends Harry a smile, one that's happy and a little suggestive too. "So, _again_ , you're here now so shut it and enjoy it."

Seth runs up, "Harry! Isn't it awesome!" he gushes, bouncing around. Harry snorts a laugh when Leah's hand shoots out and smacks him on the back of the head. Seth glares, rubbing his head. "Okay, maybe not awesome," he says, sticking his tongue out at his sister. "Ugh, such a bitch," he mutters and walks into the house, shouting for Draco.

"Twerp," Leah mutters fondly. The older woman is approaching them slowly, her face wary but a small smile on her face. "Mom. This, apparently, is Harry," she introduces.

Harry is surprised when she offers a hand. He's not sure if she's expecting a shake or one of those hand kisses. Harry just shakes it gently, smiling politely at the older woman. She bares a striking resemblance to Seth and Leah, making it obvious even to Harry she was Seth and Leah's mum.

"Harry, this is my mom. Sue Clearwater," Leah says, giving her mom a smile and nudging her with her shoulder. It still amuses her that her mom is so old fashioned; her eyes had bugged out and she'd sputtered for a good solid minute when Jake told them what's been going on. Even in her shock, though, Leah is proud her mom only focused on Jake's happiness.

Sue smiles, her eyes drop to where Jake has an arm around Harry's waist before she looks up again. "Nice to meet you," she says. Her gaze darts around, trying to see everything at once. "You have a lovely home," she says politely to Harry before she turns to Jake.

Her smile is finally reaching her eyes when she looks at Jake. "Hey Jakey. Seth has been going on non-stop about your new friends," she says, and looks around again. "I thought there was another..." she trails off, looking for the appropriate word, "young man here."

Sue tries not to look uncomfortable. She's hoping the young man across from her doesn't think it's his fault or the whole situation, which is odd and wholly unheard of, but she's never been good around strangers. Her hands are damp but she resists wiping them on her skirt and she steps closer to Billy, placing a hand on the handle on the back of his chair.

Jake nods and jerks a thumb behind him. "Yeah, Draco. He's hard to miss, so you'll know it when you see him." He grins. "I'm not sure where he is, probably off somewhere with Joe." He chokes on a laugh and tries not to blush in front of Mrs. Clearwater.

His eyes go wide and he turns to Harry, "Oh shit!" He flinches slightly, his eyes darting to Sue and he smiles sheepishly in apology. "I completely forgot to tell you we were all coming," he says apologetically. He turns slightly, pulling Harry closer to him. "Is that okay? I mean, that they're here? And dinner!" he groans and slaps his forehead.

Harry laughs and waves a hand, his other pressing along Jake's hip. "Jake, it's completely fine. Great, even." He smiles at Jake's relieved expression. "And there's plenty of food. Maybe. As long as you lot let the ladies and gentlemen eat first," he says with a slight smirk and is pleased to hear Mrs. Clearwater laugh quietly.

He leans closer, murmuring so Jake alone can hear, not sure if it's rude to exclude others but not really caring. "It's fine, love. I'm happy they're here, with you." He sneaks a quick kiss on Jake's neck. "Did you tell them about the magic thing?"

Jake nods, a guilty expression on his face. "I did. Leah jumped all over me not even a minute after I saw her and wanted to know how Seth got into my pack and demanded the same." He smiles and shakes his head slightly. "I think she's just using any excuse to be away from Sam, but it was still nice. So, yeah, I told her about you guys."

He sneaks a glance at Sue, "Missus Clearwater heard, too. Which probably explains why she's acting so...weird. But she's cool, not much rattles her, babe." He grins then purses his lips in thought and looks to his dad, who's been sitting quietly watching everyone. "I didn't expect them all to be at dad's, though."

Billy grins and pats Sue on the ass, making her jump slightly and smack his shoulder. "Sue's been helping me since my son has abandoned me."

Jake's mouth hangs open and he sputters for a moment, "Dad! I haven't—" He's over there every day, making sure his dad has something to eat and working in the garage. True, he spends all his free time here with Harry, but he hasn't abandoned his dad and he's torn between feeling annoyed his dad would say it and guilt that it's a little true.

Billy cuts Jake off with a loud cackling laugh, his hands pressed against his stomach as he waves the other at Jake. "Oh hush, Jacob. I'm only messing around with you. Good lord. Sue's been kind enough to help me out." Sue nods, with a small smile. "Plus, her two are out running wild, so it's been nice to not be so lonesome. She was able to drag Leah and Seth over and it just worked out that you'd stop by later," he says with a shifty grin that Jake doesn't trust at all.

Coincidence. Sure sure, and he was a famous Hollywood actor.

Jake huffs. "Okay, fine." He turns to Harry again, "So, we didn't really do much since I made dad's my first stop. We still need to get something for dessert, so maybe we'll get out of your hair for a bit and be back like we were supposed to?" He casts a glance to his dad and Sue, hoping they will feel comfortable here. It'll make many things a lot easier if they can relax around Harry and Draco. "I was just excited to have everyone meet you," he adds quietly as his hand slides along Harry's back and presses him closer for a moment.

Harry just shrugs, touched by Jake's eagerness. Surprise or not, he'd never turn down a chance to spend time with Jake's family and pack. "Sure, whatever you want to do is fine with me. I've got plenty to keep me busy." He grins.

Seth bursts through the door, trailed by Draco and Joe. Both look a little disgruntled and slightly disheveled and Harry's pretty sure Seth had interrupted them. Both men are smoothing their clothes and tucking other parts in as they glare at Seth's back. He hides a grin and ignores Draco's glare when it shifts to him.

"Mom! Leah! This is Draco!" he says, pulling Draco by his upper arm, completely unaware, or uncaring of, Joe's narrowed eyes and flaring nostrils. Seth has Draco in front of his mom and sister and pokes him in the ribs lightly. "Say something," he prods, grinning.

Draco glares at Seth, a small sneer on his lips. "I'm not some performing monkey, wolf boy," he snarks. He turns back to the women and a bright smile lights his face and he bows slightly, "Ladies," he greets.

Leah raises a dark eyebrow at him and smirks, "Hey." The blonde one is funny, Leah makes a mental note to get on his good side though because he looks like he'd have a wickedly sharp tongue. Her gaze lands on Joe and she smacks him in the gut with the back of her hand, giving him her usual greeting; "Hey, Joe. Whaddaknow?" She cackles at his glare and slaps him on the shoulder good-naturedly. "So," she looks at Draco a moment, "I hear you've been busy, too."

Joe grins and grabs Draco around the waist, pulling him flush against his chest completely unconcerned if anyone looks uncomfortable. "Yup." While he doesn't want to alienate any of Jake's family, he's not going to shy away from his Draco either.

Leah's grin turns nearly feral, her gaze going between the two couples. "I'm really gonna dig the new pack," she smirks and rubs her hands together. "I can't wait to see some dirty deeds." She deliberately looks Draco over the longest, finding him the most attractive, and nearly pouts when the blonde just smirks back and leans heavily into Joe.

Jake gasps, his cheeks pink. "Leah! You pervert!" He looks around for someone to agree with him and scowls when Draco, Joe and Harry are only laughing or grinning at Leah. "Whatever," he mutters, trying to ignore Harry's presence as he steps closer and tries to nuzzle into Jake. He's not sure he's cool with Leah perving on them; he's fine with her being cool about it but her looking for juicy details seems to be crossing some line and he's a bit put out that no one seems to be agreeing with him.

Draco laughs but gives Joe a pointed look. "No problem." He turns to Sue and gives her a bright smile. "Would you like to come in?" He steps away from Joe and makes a grand sweeping gesture towards the house. Leah cackles again and Sue just offers a small curtsey before she pushes Billy along with them and follows Draco into the large house, listening as the blonde gives them a tour.

Joe looks after them, a smile on his face, before looking back at Harry and Jake. He's torn; does he go with his Draco or stay with his Alpha? Jake looks like he's got something to say and Harry just looks like he's about to laugh his ass off and drag Jake into the bushes or something. He huffs a laugh but stays, moving off a little for privacy.

Harry watches the others leave and steps close to Jake again, his body pressing insistently against Jake's. Jake finally leans down with a huff and Harry's lips press against his ear, making him shiver slightly. "I think Draco can teach you how to block some things from the pack. I'm pants at Occlumency, but he was pretty good at it."

Jake frowns at the strange words but gets the gist of what Harry means and nods, his eyes on Joe a moment. "Yeah, sure sure. I'll ask him about it later."

"I'm pretty sure he's already been teaching Joe," Harry adds, his voice thoughtful. Jake's nods, his eyes go a little wide when he realizes he hadn't seen anything 'private' in awhile when they phased.

He'd mentioned it to Draco, unsure if it was a good idea to do it or not. He thought there was a reason the pack was connected as they were and they shouldn't mess with it. Draco had rolled his eyes and snorted, making the point that keeping personal details didn't keep them from being able to communicate with the pack mind.

"I think if you're able to connect with Leah, you'll be able to keep her from your personal thoughts soon, depending how easily you can learn it."

Jake has his doubts; if Harry couldn't get it, what chance does he have? "Are you sure I can? I mean, if you can't..." Harry barks a short, unpleasant laugh and his eyes go dark and hazy with memory. Not in a pleasant way, Jake notices with a slight shudder.

"I had a shit teacher," Harry says, voice soft but hard. "I never bothered to learn after that since I didn't see a need to, but Draco has offered. Maybe we can do it together, yeah?" he offers with a smile.

"Yeah, alright," Jake nods and squeezes Harry's hand, wondering if he should ask for more details. Harry's shoulders are now tense and his whole face is stiff. He's really not sure if he wants to push so he just puts his hands on Harry's shoulders; kneading, rubbing and massaging the tension out. Harry's head flops forward a moment later and he leans back into Jake, his ass pressing firmly into Jake's crotch making him stifle a moan.

Joe clicks his tongue and shakes his head as he watches the pair. He could only imagine what caused Harry's brief tense moment and he happily leaves Jake to sort him out. He walks into the house, deciding to search for his Draco.

"Good?" Jake asks, getting a hum and a nod in answer. He really doesn't want to do anything in the _driveway_ , so he leans down and gives Harry's shoulders a kiss and a final squeeze. Harry's whole body is loose now and he's smiling so Jake doesn't feel too bad about stopping.

He places another quick kiss on the back of Harry's neck and steps back. "Okay, let me see who wants to head out again and we'll get out of your hair." His fingers run through said hair and he smiles when Harry's eyes flutter closed and he breathes out a happy sigh.

"Yeah, alright," Harry murmurs. "I left that last book mostly unread and Draco's about to finish the wards, so I'm sure he'll feel better if there's not an audience for that." Not to mention keep an eye on dinner.

Jake nods, vaguely understanding what Harry means by wards. He'd explained them to Jake and he tried to equate it with a force field and only got blank stares from both wizards. He muttered something about Star Wars and made a mental note to show them some movies that would make the words make sense.

He's mostly looking forward to seeing Harry fly on a broom. He still snickers at the thought, sure Harry is pulling his leg about it. Draco had nodded along but Jake didn't trust him not to go along with Harry just to mock Jake.

"Okay," he leans down and kisses Harry again before he walks towards the house. "I'll try to get everyone to go then," he calls over his shoulder. As soon as he's in the house, he hollers for everyone to get their asses back in the car.

Teddy runs out from the side yard, his hair streaking bright orange as he runs. "I'm goin' too! I gotta help pick dessert!" he announces at the top of his lungs. He wants to make sure they get the green ice cream— it's his favorite. His eyes light up when he sees Leah heading towards the car and runs straight at her, leaping and giggling madly when she easily catches him mid-jump and plops him on her hip giving his tummy a tickle.

Seth is behind her, his jaw hanging open at the scene.

"Woah," he stammers, still shocked. "Leah, what-?"

Leah smacks the back of Seth's head again. "Shut up. I'm good with kids and you know it," she sneers and walks to the car, Teddy chattering at her the whole time. Apparently, Simon loved the fact there were tellies in the car and Leah agreed they were 'bitchin'. Apparently her being good with kids didn't mean she filtered her mouth, Harry mused with a grin. Remus was probably going to be upset, but it was likely Teddy had heard worse being around any of the Order members or any adult, really.

Jake reappears and gives Harry an apologetic smile, "Sorry, but Billy and Sue aren't up for spending more time cooped up in the car. Is it cool if they hang and watch TV or something? Will that annoy Draco?" He bites his lip, sometimes the blonde is as fearsome as Harry and Jake has little desire to have Draco annoyed with him.

Harry smiles brightly. "Not a problem, really. Remus and Nigel are probably going to be occupied too," he muses looking at the house. He hadn't seen either man come back out and they disappeared shortly after everyone got out of the car. "So it looks like it's just you guys."

He looks to the car and worries his upper lip with his teeth. "Is Leah okay with Teddy? I trust you and Seth with him completely, but..." he trails off, unsure how to finish without sounding like he's insulting Leah. He already liked the girl; she's spunky and even through she's a bit brash he can see that she cares deeply for her family. Teddy didn't latch on to strangers so easily, either.

Jake chuckles and squints at Harry, "Yeah, she's completely trustworthy and I'm not offended that you'd worry. She can come off a bit... harsh. I already told her about Teddy's hair thing," he circles a hand absently around his head, "and she was totally impressed by it and had Teddy changing his hair for almost a solid ten minutes." His gaze is warm as he looks at Harry. "Remus already said he was okay with Leah being around him once he saw how Teddy took to her." He didn't mention that Teddy had begged for nearly a solid hour to see Leah as a 'doggie', much to her surprise and secret delight.

Harry nods, his lip freed, and gives Jake a smile. "Alright then. And for the record, I like Leah. She's spunky." He grins. "Reminds me of my friend Hermione."

His eyes go wide a moment later. "Oh fuck! I haven't written her since... shit. She's going to kill me," he groans and rubs a hand over his face. "Well, now I've got something else to do. Grovel and hope I'm still alive to serve dinner." When Jake laughs at him, he levels him a serious look. "Yeah, you laugh but imagine if you'd seriously pissed of Leah."

Jake's laughter cuts off, his eyes go wide and his hand unconsciously covers his crotch. "Ah. Well," he leans in and gives Harry a long kiss. "Good luck with all that." He swiftly turns and heads to the car. He's not sure if Hermione would actually hurt Harry but he prays all his pieces are still attached when he gets back home.

He settles himself in the driver's seat and turns the cartoon back on for Teddy. "Okay, guys. It's just us. So, what should we do?"

~oOo~

Harry eventually sat down and wrote a long letter to Hermione, cataloging nearly event since he'd last written. Most of the letter consisted of telling her about Jake. He looks at the numerous pages as he massages his hand. Merlin, he felt like a coward when he'd sent Mortimer off with the letter instead of flooing, but he figured it was better than nothing. He can always pretend he couldn't remember the time difference and didn't want to bother her should she be sleeping.

When Jake and the others finally get back, they are still early for dinner but everyone else heads into the main room, the TV drawing their attention. Draco has his feet propped on Joe's lap and they're watching some science fiction movie as Joe quietly explains various things as the movie went on to Draco.

Apparently, the warrior creatures look like something from the wizarding world and Draco kept laughing at the furry creatures. The wizarding world equivalent were vicious little things with rows of sharp teeth and an affinity for dragon meat; nothing like the cute, furry creatures dancing and singing with the movie characters.

Leah smacks Seth on the back of his head and orders him to move over and Seth does without a second thought or complaint. Teddy runs upstairs to his room the moment he lets go of Leah when they come in, the distinct muffled sound of plastic bricks being dumped on the floor heard a moment later.

Jake makes his way into the kitchen and pauses in the doorway, the bags filled with ice cream and cakes dangling from his hand forgotten as he looks in the kitchen.

Harry has his back to him, an iPod is on the counter and the ear-buds disappearing in his wild mass of hair. He's humming along with whatever he's listening to and dancing a little. Jake walks a few more steps inside the kitchen, his nose twitching at the wonderful smells of dinner but his gaze is trained solely on Harry's moving body. His hips sway in between little thrusts as he taps his foot along with the music. Jake carefully lays the bags on a counter and steps closer, wondering when Harry will notice his presence.

Just then Harry tenses slightly, the humming stops and he turns his head until he sees Jake standing a few yards behind him, looking frozen but otherwise the epitome of sexy; his eyes are dark with desire, his shaggy hair tousled from the wind and he's breathing heavier than usual. He drops the large spoon he's been stirring with and turns around fully, a grin on his face.

He pulls one of the ear-buds out, "Hey." He gives Jake a slow smile.

Jake just nods in greeting; he's not surprised that just the sight of Harry can turn him into a wanting pile of mush but he didn't think Harry could dance. His eyes travel back down to Harry's hips, which are still swaying slightly with the music only he can hear.

"Hi," he finally manages.

He doesn't notice Harry's put the ear-bud in again but he is very aware that Harry's body is moving with purpose now. Harry's hands are splayed across his own chest and he's sliding them along the soft cotton of his t-shirt down to his stomach as he moves his hips in a sinuous motion.

Jake steps closer without thinking about it, his tongue wetting his lower lip. He reaches out, fingers flexing with the need to touch. He's confused for a moment when Harry's hand comes up, pressing against his chest and stopping him from getting closer but he no longer cares when he sees that Harry's still swaying and twitching his hips seductively. He stares, leaning into the palm against his chest.

"Harry," he whines, pressing against Harry's hand with intent now. He wraps both hands around Harry's hips and pulls. A satisfied grunt leaves him when Harry complies this time and presses in close against him. Jake can hear the music now, it's soft and a bit tinny but he grins when he recognizes the song. Harry is still moving, his hips arching into him and twitching from side to side and it's driving Jake crazy.

Jake pulls one of the white wires out with his teeth, the earbud popping out and dangling against Harry's chest. "Harry," Jake says again. Harry just tilts his head and he can't resist latching onto the pale column of skin he's offering. "Harry," he murmurs against warm skin, "can you put up one of those privacy things?" he whispers, nearly whimpering at the thought of having to go _all the way upstairs_.

He can't think past thoughts of having Harry. _Right now_.

He feels Harry nod and the electric tingle of magic sweeps over Jake a moment later, making him groan softly and shiver. He doesn't stop to think, knowing he'll probably back out or second guess himself. He's been aching to touch Harry all day, flashes of last night keeping him half-hard most of the day. He pops the button on Harry's jeans and ignores Harry's raised brow, concentrating on pulling the zipper down and working his hand into Harry's boxer briefs.

Harry's head falls back a little and he moans softly when Jake's fingers wrap around him, hardening him fully. He's still grinding his hips in small circles along with the music so Jake pulls the other ear-bud out, not caring that they're left to dangle and probably fall and knock the iPod onto the floor.

Jake's breath puffs over Harry's lips and he leans forward to quickly capture Jake's lips in a deep kiss. He moans into Jake's mouth as his tongue slides against his at the same time Jake's hand slides up, his eyes fluttering closed.

His eyes fly open when he feels Jake shift and get on his knees in front of him. He can't help groaning; he's been looking forward to Jake on his knees in front of him for... awhile. Jake occasionally mentions how bad he feels that he hasn't done that for Harry yet, but he always looks a bit uncertain and he'd admonish himself because he didn't know what to do.

Harry has reassure Jake that as long as he didn't use teeth, it would be fine. But he wasn't going to force the issue, content to take things at Jake's pace. He's not complaining, in any case. But apparently something has changed and Jake's eyes are filled with desire this time, no apprehension or confusion in sight.

He shudders lightly and is very glad he's blocked off the kitchen as well as used a silencing charm. There's no way Jake would go any further if someone were to even walk near the doorway of the kitchen. He smiles down at his surprisingly shy Alpha werewolf, gently sliding a hand through Jake's hair.

Jake grabs a side of Harry's jeans and briefs in each hand and pulls, puddling the fabric at his knees and he can't help staring at the cock that bobs up in front of his face. He's seen it numerous times before but now that he's about to do this, he's taken aback at the size of Harry. He wraps a hand around it and he runs a finger along the slightly curved length, fascinated with the drop oozing out of the slit.

He leans forward, poking his tongue out and swipes it across the dark tip, dipping slightly into the slit and gathering the drop on his tongue. He moans, the taste exploding on his tongue and he's surprised he likes it. He feels emboldened when Harry groans loudly, his free hand slapping the counter behind him to hold himself up as his knees buckle a bit.

Jake looks up at Harry through his lashes and smiles at Harry's expression; he's biting his lip, his head is thrown back and his eyes are rolled back. Jake takes a deep breath, carefully folds his lips over his teeth and leans forward. He doesn't get much in before he has to back off, but Harry still reacts with a long, buoying moan and his hips twitch forward.

He places a hand on Harry's hip, easily holding him still, not willing to let Harry shove his cock further down than he can handle. He re-wraps the other at the base, his fingers brushing the somehow silky dark hair and he slowly draws his head back, experimenting with how far he can take Harry in with each downward bob of his head. One of Harry's hands lifts and rests in Jake's hair again, not pushing but just touching, needing some contact with Jake. His fingers comb through, cupping the back of his head, and Jake closes his eyes as he enjoys the touch.

Harry can feel the head of his cock brushing against the back of Jake's throat and he groans. He didn't think Jake would be able to get him that far so fast. Jake is apparently a fast learner and as he bobs back down again, Harry can feel his throat muscles contract around him, drawing him a little further back, swallowing past his gag reflex easily.

His eyes roll back almost painfully when Jake hums with pleasure and his tongue presses along the sensitive underside. "Oh fuck, Jake," he breathes out finally. "So brilliant."

Jake hums again, already knowing Harry is thoroughly enjoying his efforts by his moans and muttered curses as he bobs and licks. He loves that Harry is so vocal, he doesn't think he could handle it if Harry kept quiet; the thrives on the feedback the sounds give him. He's focused, trying not to gag as he draws Harry deeper again, he can feel pre-come dribbling copiously down his throat and he's frustratingly hard from the whole experience.

No wonder Harry sometimes has to jerk himself off when he does this. He's not sure he can take his concentration off his actions and he's not about to remove a hand from Harry's hip or the other sliding steadily up and down.

He presses the hand on Harry's hip harder when Harry's hips jerk forcefully. Harry's breathing is heavy, moans and Jake's name are the only sounds he's making and it sounds so loud in the otherwise quiet kitchen. Until a 'close, so close, Jake' and he knows Harry's almost there. He's not sure if he should back off but the idea of letting Harry come in his mouth makes him close his eyes and moan loudly around Harry. He wants to try, he wants to see what it's like. He hears Harry trying to warn him again, a hand scrabbling at him to push away, but he doesn't back off and he's swallowing a mouthful of slightly salty, slightly sweet come a moment later.

His own orgasm seems to be triggered by Harry's, or maybe just tasting Harry, and he's arching and panting as he comes in his pants. He can't help it, he snorts a laugh and licks his lips as he shakily gets to his feet, drawing Harry's pants and underwear up as he goes, tucking him gently away.

Harry's eyes slowly open and he smiles lazily at Jake, looking a little dazed. "You find a fantastic blow job funny?"

Jake shakes his head, shifting slightly in his damp underwear. "No, I find it funny you can make me jizz my pants like a teenager." He grins and kisses Harry hard when he feels a tingle and his underwear become dry again. "Thanks," he murmurs against Harry's lips.

He makes a surprised squeak when Harry's tongue slips inside, he hadn't expected Harry to want to after what he just did. Oh god, it was so hot that he didn't care. He wants to ask Harry how he did but he doesn't want to sound all needy and insecure. Harry chuckles softly, pulling back a bit to look at him, and he groans.

Apparently he did ask. Fuck; he has to learn how to reconnect his brain and mouth so he doesn't keep blurting things out.

"I had no idea you were such a nervous person, Jake. It was great. Wonderful, mind-blowing in fact." Harry wraps his arms tight around Jake, and kisses the hollow of his throat and nibbles lightly on his Adam's apple. "I really don't know why you were so nervous about it, it was brilliant."

Jake moans softly and gives him a sheepish smile, "I'm not usually... there's just something about you. I don't want to disappoint or mess up. And not just with blow jobs," he says, feeling his cheeks warm. Well, shit. He's cursed since he was 12 but he'd never been able to say such things without stammering and blushing like a girl. He can't understand how he does still, especially when it comes to Harry. Grown men should not blush, it just wasn't fair. "But you know, everything," he says one hand twirling vaguely. He still feels relief that Harry liked it, not that it wasn't obvious, but still.

"I know. And like I said before, if you try your best and your intentions are good, I won't ever be disappointed. We all mess up, Jake, so try not to worry so much about it. It's what makes you human," he grins and wiggles his eyebrows, "sorta."

Jake laughs, and distracts himself with refastening Harry's jeans, sliding his palms along his thighs and around to his ass a moment. "I know," he says again quietly.

There's just so much he wants to say but he knows Harry doesn't want to hear it. It's not that Harry won't listen or doesn't care but he doesn't believe that Jake would ever do anything to hurt him or disappoint him and doesn't like to hear Jake doubt himself out loud. He doesn't want to be one more person that's let Harry down.

Jake closes his eyes and rests his face in Harry's warm neck, breathing his scent in deeply. God, he smells fantastic and even more so when he's excited. Even now, he's still warm and flushed and Jake snorts a laugh when his cock twitches in appreciation. "You've turned me into some randy, hormone driven sex maniac," he whines jokingly.

Harry chuckles lowly, "Fair's fair," he intones. "Seeing as you do the same to me." He smirks and wraps his arms tighter around Jake's waist. "I will need to have my space back in a moment, I've got dinner to finish." He nuzzles his cheek against Jake, "Not that this wasn't a brilliant way to pass the time." He makes a mental note to dance around for Jake more often and grins.

He disables the privacy ward and just stands there with Jake for long moments.

"Uhm," Seth coughs lightly from the doorway of the kitchen. He wants a soda and maybe a snack but nearly stumbles to a stop when he sees Jake and Harry in the kitchen. They're pressed close together, standing there with their arms wrapped around each other. Seth is sure he'd blush like a creep if they were doing anything but they're just standing there, entwined together and looking adorably smitten with each other.

He nearly coos at them.

"I just wanted a soda." He finally moves and walks over to the fridge, getting a soda and closes the door with his foot. His eyes land on a bag full of ice cream, left to melt on the table. "Ja-ake! It's melting, you dick!" He snatches the bag, missing Jake's pink cheeks completely, and shoves it in the freezer, hoping it isn't already in puddles.

"Sorry," Jake mutters. He'd nearly forgotten all about the ice cream he abandoned when he saw Harry dancing around earlier. "It wasn't left out long," he informs a sulking Seth. Jake's hands tighten a moment later, fighting the urge to bolt or blush, when he sees Leah pop in behind Seth. Oh god, no. Jake groans softly when her nose twitches and a dangerous glint appears in her dark eyes as a smirk oozes onto her face.

"Hey, boys." She smirks, looking mainly at Jake's mouth.

Jake wants to fold his lips in, sure they're puffy or something else that makes it obvious to what he was doing moments before. He mutters a 'Hey' and leans back against the counter, his arms folded across his chest and aims a glare at Leah. Jake sneaks a look at Harry and he feels slightly annoyed that he looks cool and calm, not at all even bothered by Leah's presence and that she's obviously figured out what happened by the leering looks she's sending him and Harry.

Leah struts into the kitchen, poking her nose into the various steaming pots before she opens the oven. She inhales deeply and stands up, a small smile on her face. "Smells good," she says.

Harry just smiles at her, sure she's meant it as the highest compliment.

"Uh huh, well, still." Seth looks around the kitchen, ignoring his sister's presence, his stomach making an annoying gurgling noise. "Is dinner ready or can I sneak a snack?" he asks, eyeing a bag of chips and wondering if there's any dip.

"No, it's pretty much ready," Harry tells him with a grin. "So, let everyone know, yeah?" He searches a drawer for an oven mitt and ignores Leah's snort of amusement. He pulls the huge roast out and grins when Seth smacks his lips together dramatically.

Seth does a little hop and leaves the kitchen yelling "Guys! Dinner!" as he makes his way back in the living room. Leah rolls her eyes and follows him out, sending Jake a wink and a rude hand gesture, laughing delightedly when Jake blushes and looks away.

"Ugh, sometimes I really hate her," he sulks, snagging Harry and pulling him close now that he's not holding a hot pan. "How come it doesn't bother you that she's such a bitch?"

Harry shrugs but presses closer, giving in to the urge to sigh and close his eyes after a moment. "I dunno," he mumbles against Jake's chest. "It doesn't bother me because she doesn't mean it to be hurtful." He leans back slightly to look up at Jake, "Right? I mean, I know she's no Little Miss Sunshine but she doesn't seem to get off on hurting people or anything. She's just a little... blunt." He smiles, thinking of Draco. The blonde could be an utter bastard but it was only his way of dealing with people so they wouldn't see how vulnerable he could be.

Jake nibbles his top lip in thought. Harry has a very valid point. He wants to be surprised Harry has pegged her so well after only meeting her once, for maybe 10 minutes. He smiles and squeezes Harry, "Right. But she can be downright vicious if she doesn't like you or if you mess with someone she loves." He sighs and rests a cheek on the top of Harry's head. "I'm glad she hasn't put you off though."

He doesn't know what he'd do if there was truly friction or if they'd hated each other. Leah wants to be in his pack and, no matter how much it would piss off her or Seth, he wouldn't allow it if she didn't accept Harry or at least try to get along with him.

Harry chuckles. "I have experience dealing with prickly princesses," he informs Jake with a smirk, his thoughts again on Draco. He steps back after another moment. "C'mon. Dinner is ready and there are hungry people waiting. You carry that—" He points to the huge roast. "I've had my limit of lifting that massive thing."

~oOo~

After dinner, Jake offers to take everyone home but only Sue and Billy are willing to leave. He doesn't even bother trying to talk Seth and Leah into leaving so he just points a finger at them and instructs them to behave as he leaves with his dad and Sue. Draco snorts and sits on Joe, who immediately wraps his arms around his waist and presses a nose into his soft hair.

As soon as the door closes, Leah turns to Draco and Harry. "So, lets see some of this magic." She twirls a hand imperiously, her eyes flicking between Draco and Harry.

"No." Draco smirks and leans back against Joe, inspecting his nails, his face the picture of boredom and completely oblivious to the glare he's getting from Leah.

Leah pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "Why not? You've shown Seth."

Seth opens his mouth to gloat and gets a slap in the back of the head from Leah for his efforts. He huffs and moves to the other end of the sofa, searching for the remote and tries to ignore her. "They showed _me_ because _I'm_ not a bitch," he mutters, changing through the channels quickly looking for something good to watch.

"Fuck off," she tells Seth—fondly, somehow—before turning to Harry. The dark haired little wizard is the nicer one, anyway. "C'mon. I already know about it and it's not like I'm gonna go blabbing." She gives him a smirk and flips her hair. "I'm a fucking werewolf, I know how to keep shit to myself."

Harry feels his lips twitch. Seth was right, Leah curses a lot more than he does. She's almost made it an art form; he's sure he hasn't heard her speak yet without at least one in every sentence.

"Alright," he relents. "What did you want to see?" He takes his wand out his back pocket and just holds it, waiting.

Leah's gaze is drawn to the wand in Harry's hand. She reaches a finger out and frowns when Harry jerks it back. "OK, fine, I won't touch your _little stick_. I have no idea what I want to see. You're the fucking wizard, pick something." She's smirking at Harry, expecting him to make some comment about his 'little stick'—mostly about how it's not _little_ —but he just ignores it and waves his wand around thoughtfully. (Draco snorted with amusement, so at least someone appreciates her humor. She gives the blonde a wink and a grin before giving Harry her attention again.)

Harry waves his wand at her, conjuring a massive bouquet of flowers in her lap. She blinks down at the bundle of wildflowers, gently touching the soft petals. She picks a yellow daisy from the bundle and lets out a startled squeak when the whole bunch quickly transforms into a small black kitten.

"Holy shit!" She drops the flower in her hand to pick up the kitten. She turns it around in her hands, inspecting it. It looks so real... She pokes it gently with a finger, her brows drawn together when the small animal makes a squeaking noise. There is a soft purring coming from the small bundle now. "This thing real?" she asks, lifting the small furry body towards Harry briefly. Her eyes are wide and her finger is now absently scritching under the kitten's raised chin.

"Of course," Harry answers smiling. He didn't know how Leah would react to a kitten—who can resist a kitten?—but he's pleasantly surprised. Leah now has the small kitten cuddled to her breast, her fingers working the small creature into a frenzy of pleasure. "I wasn't always good at transfiguration," he muses aloud. "But I finally mastered it." He says with a nod at the kitten. Its small paws are kneading on Leah's arm, purring loudly.

He leans forward and rubs the kitten on the head with his index finger. "Now I'm going to feel like a git if I vanish him," he says. He flinches back slightly when Leah jerks the kitten closer to her chest and glares daggers at him. Merlin, he's glad looks can't kill.

"The fuck you are!" Leah snaps. She's not sure what Harry means but the word 'vanish' isn't exactly a mystery. She picks up the kitten and brushes her nose with the small wet black one. "You're just too cute to vanish to into a fucking void of doom, aren't you?" she coos, rubbing the kitten's chin and ears.

She glares at a gaping Seth, "What?"

Seth blinks and quickly shakes his head. "Nothing," he says wisely. He's not going to be the one to point out how weird it is that Leah is being nice. To a kitten. He could understand the kid but Leah was rarely nice to anything furry—and that went for her fellow pack mates, too. He makes a buttoning motion over his lips and goes back to watching TV.

Harry purses his lips in thought. "Well, I guess it won't hurt anything. I mean, it's probably not a wizarding kitten."

Leah raises a dark eyebrow at him. "What's the difference?" Her hand is stroking along the kitten's back, making the small creature arch into her hand and raise its butt in the air, purring loudly. A furry head bumps into her hand and it meows pathetically when she stops the petting.

"Not much, really," Harry says. "Wizarding animals are usually quite loyal and intelligent. Like, eerily intelligent. So." He shrugs and points at the kitten that's now curled into a small furry ball on Leah's lap, "no big deal really." He doesn't want to ask how a werewolf would react to a kitten so he drops the subject.

Harry picks up the lone daisy Leah dropped earlier and transfigures it into a small yellow collar and hands it to Leah. She takes it with a small smile and slides it over the kitten's head, adjusting it slightly once it's seated around the kitten's neck. "That'll grow with him." He nods to the collar around the kitten's neck. "I suppose you should name him then."

Leah scoffs but lifts the kitten to her face again. He blinks golden eyes at her and meows quietly, his paw coming up to bat at her nose. Leah snorts and settles the kitten on her shoulder, seeing if he'll stay. He does, happily sniffing her hair and licking her ear, purring loudly the entire time. "I have no idea. I've never had to name something before."

"And I don't think 'Shithead' is appropriate," Seth offers helpfully from the other side of the sofa. He grins at his fuming sister and sticks his tongue out at her before turning his attention to the TV once more.

"How about Felix?" Draco offers, thinking of the potion. Who doesn't like good fortune and luck? Leah snarls and snaps out a "No." Draco raises his hands and shrugs a moment later. "Alright, fine. Just a suggestion. Merlin..." he mutters.

Leah gives him a slightly apologetic shrug. She's not about to explain her reaction and the blonde doesn't seem to care, anyway.

"Leo?" Harry offers.

"Leo," Leah repeats, testing the name. She pets the kitten now snoozing, laying across her shoulder, his head and paws dangling towards her chest. "That's cute. Reminds me of a little lion."

Draco makes a scoffing sound and laughs. "Oh, of course you'd pick that. Poncy Gryffindor," he says at Harry with a fond smile. "Let's hope he doesn't run into trouble too much, yeah?" He says to Leah, ignoring her look of confusion in favor of just giving her a smirk.

Jake comes in a moment later, looking around the room. He points a finger at the kitten laying on Leah, "Uh...?" is all he can think of to say. He's surprised at the sudden appearance of the small black kitten but he's mostly surprised that it's laying on Leah. And she's allowing. And looking like she likes it. He's tempted to shake his head in case it's an elaborate illusion but just stares instead.

Leah stokes the purring kitten with a smug smile. "Harry made him for me. Isn't he cute?" She carefully pulls the kitten into her hands and points him at Jake and wiggles him slightly.

Jake looks from the kitten to Harry. "Yeah. Adorable," he agrees.

Harry only shrugs and leans back into the sofa. He's sure Jake is going to have some sort of meeting and not sit down and get comfortable. His thoughts are confirmed a moment later when Jake speaks again, his voice is a little deeper and it makes Harry shiver slightly, tingling with pleasure.

"Well, let's go," Jake says. "We have some things to do so, you three—" He points to Joe, Seth and Leah, "outside." He hooks a thumb behind him and heads back outside without waiting for them.

The three werewolves follow without complaint; not even Seth, he just lays the remote on the table in front of Draco. Leah carefully plops Leo in Harry's lap on her way out of the room and rubs her hands together with a devious grin on her face. Joe carefully extracts himself from under Draco, gives him a quick kiss and follows behind Leah, shaking his head slightly at her back.

"Should we go too?" Draco asks, after everyone is outside and they've been sitting in silence for a few moments. He's looking at the remote, a slight frown on his face.

Harry bites the inside of his bottom lip in thought, petting a purring Leo softly. "No, Jake would have asked us to go if he wanted us there." He nibbles his lip some more. "Right?" His nosy side wants to be there, of course, but this is Jake's pack. He looks to Draco, not sure if they should feel excluded or not. They didn't phase into wolves, but they were basically part of the pack, right? It's not like they haven't seen their wolf forms.

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin slightly. "Like that has ever stopped either of us."

Harry laughs quietly, agreeing. "True, but this is different. So... maybe we can watch from the window?" He tilts his chin towards the large wall of windows that show the back yard. He can just barely see four shadows moving around. They haven't disappeared into the trees, apparently trusting Draco's wards to keep them under cover.

Draco stands, trying to look calm but he rushes to the windows and peers out, his hands cupping around his face to reduce the lights and glare. "Bugger. They're too far away to hear. Should I?" He wiggles his wand, knowing the perfect charm to eavesdrop with.

Harry shakes his head, "No. Again, not our business. But can you see?" He ignores Draco's snorted 'sodding goody-goody Gryffindor' comment and joins Draco at the window a moment later, cupping his hands around his face too. He can easily make out Jake, they're still in their human forms talking.

"I mostly just want to see Leah turn into a wolf." Draco nods in agreement. "So, we won't try to listen but just watch. As long as they don't go into the forest."

Draco nods again, his eyes on Joe mostly. He didn't phase into a wolf often and Draco found himself fascinated with the other form. So different than any werewolf he'd ever seen before. His sheer size seems to indicate that he's Jake's Beta, his wolf being almost as tall as Jake's. He can make out movement, and the shadows get slightly brighter and Draco realizes with a slight blush that they've all just stripped their clothes off.

He curses himself when he gets an irrational urge to claw Leah's eyes out like some jealous girl. He probably would too if he didn't already know for sure that Joe had zero interest and Leah saw them mostly as more brothers. But still... he narrows his eyes; he's watching that wolfy bitch.

They both blink and lean back slightly in surprise—they phased into wolves so fast!—when there are suddenly four large wolves in their yard. They form a sort of circle, three of them sitting, looking at the largest russet colored wolf that's standing. _Jake_ , Harry muses with a smile.

He can barely make out which wolves are which until his eyes adjust better to the dark. He sees Joe's cream colored wolf, now standing closest to Jake. Seth, Harry recognizes the smaller sandy colored wolf, howls and starts to jump around in circles around a light grey, almost silver in the moonlight, smaller wolf. Leah. The wolves break apart a moment later, apparently finished with their 'meeting' and Seth gallops towards the house.

Harry jumps in surprise when he runs up to the window and stands up against the glass, slapping huge paws on the window. His tongue is hanging out and it looks like the wolf is smiling at them. Harry waves, laughing when Seth gives a happy yipping bark and runs off towards the front of the house.

A moment later he bursts into the house, followed by the other three with only Leah fully clothed again. The others only bothered to wear their shorts and Harry is finding it hard to take his eyes off Jake's naked chest.

"We're stuck with Leah now," Seth says jokingly, dodging Leah's hand aimed for his head again. "I'm kidding and you know it. You know you wouldn't have been able to connect with us if we didn't want you to," he tells her and sticks out his tongue again. "So, shut up," he says, darting quickly away with a laugh when Leah makes to hit him again. He runs into the kitchen, and Harry can hear him rummaging through cabinets and drawers.

"You gonna let him just wander free in there?" Leah asks Harry, taking Leo gently from his lap and setting him on her shoulder.

"I'm allowed, Harry don't care," Seth informs her with a smirk as he walks back in the room. He's carrying a large mixing bowl nearly overflowing with popcorn and a can of soda under each arm. "He's cool and don't bitch." He gives Leah a pointed look. "He even gets stuff that I like. 'Cause he's awesome like that. So, again, shut up." He ducks another swing from Leah, thankful she's not dropping her kitten to give chase.

Leah ignores him, feeling slightly left out. It's been nearly a month since she'd seen Jake and her brother was just settling in like he practically lived here. She looks around the room, her gaze wandering the large bright space. "So, I take it you're here a lot bothering Harry and Draco?"

Harry laughs and Seth glares at his sister. "Yeah, but I'm not _botherin'_ them. They'd tell me to bugger off if I was," he adds with a grin. Draco laughs and nods. "See? Trust me, these blokes ain't pushovers." He puts his attention to the bowl of popcorn, stuffing large handful into his mouth, unmindful of the occasional pieces that miss his mouth and lands in his lap or on the floor.

Leah's dark eyes take in Harry, then Draco before going back to Harry again. "Yeah, I know. I saw some of that crazy shit." She winks at him, shifting the kitten to her lap after she crosses her legs in a surprisingly dainty manner. "You're a total bad-ass, not that you'd really know it to look at ya." She flips her hair back and smirks at Jake, "Of course, people think the same about Jake and he'll tear your fuckin' arm off if you hit the right button."

Jake shifts awkwardly. "That was _one_ time and the bastard tried to hurt my dad." He didn't want to inform Harry or Draco that he wasn't even a wolf at the time, and he sends a silent look to thank Leah for not mentioning it either. It doesn't matter to him that he knows what Harry has done, he's sure Harry would be wary if he knew that about Jake and he wouldn't blame him. He nibbles his lip wondering if he should tell him, anyway. It almost feels wrong not to...

Leah laughs and pats the air, "I know, chill. I was just sayin'. So, I gotta say you guys are cool. I'm not usually this nice to strangers." She gives them a large wolfish grin before it slowly morphs into a small, genuine smile. "I want to thank you, too. Jake's been a miserable shit, pinning over that fuckin' wet blanket." She snorts a laugh when Jake glares at her.

She looks to Joe, who's got Draco on his lap again and he's speaking softly in his ear. She doesn't know Joe all that well but she knew he was convinced he'd never find someone since he liked guys and most people didn't bother with him because of his mixed heritage. She thought it was utter bullshit and grins at the thought of the cosmic 'fuck you' he was able to give by imprinting on a guy. It doesn't hurt that he's a fucking hot ass blonde, either.

"And don't give me that look Jake," she says with a grimace at the puppyface he's currently making. "It's not like I've never been nice before, fucking shithead." She grins at him.

Jake laughs and shakes his head. "True, but it's still weird to see it when it does happen." He shifts closer on the sofa to Harry, nearly pulling the wizard into his lap and ignores Leah when she flips him off with a sweet smile.

"And before you ask—" he says to Harry, his arm tugging Harry closer by his waist. "Everything went fine."

Leah snorts. "It was ridiculously easy. It's a perk I don't have to be stuck with Sam but it was easy to go with Jake." She looks at him and smiles. "He's the least dickish of any of the guys and he took my little brother. What else was I supposed to do?"

Seth laughs, spewing a few popcorn bits from his mouth. "He didn't take me, I went with him. _I_ was even the one who told him he could and said how he could." He snorts, "He didn't even know he could." He opens his second soda, slurping it noisily before he burps loudly. "Sorry," he sends a sheepish look at Leah. Even if she is his sister, his mom would skin him alive if she knew he did that in front of a girl.

Leah ignores him and brings Leo back up to her shoulder, the kitten perches there like he's part bird and purrs loudly in her ear. "Anyway, I told Sam about it last week and he didn't give a shit."

Of course he didn't, she thinks bitterly. That fucker has been sending her off on shit patrols when he'd even let her phase and patrol and he was probably fucking thrilled he got his chance to get rid of her. "He did mention he wants to meet up with you though, Jake. Bastard wants to talk about 'living peacefully' or whatever. I think he's just very aware you can kick his sorry ass and wants to make sure he makes nice before you find a reason to do it."

"Did he say when or where?" Jake asks, pulling his face out of Harry's hair. He almost didn't hear Leah, he was so absorbed in Harry.

"No, I don't think he really expected me to see you," she says and grins. "Asshole," she mutters for good measure, just in case anyone has missed what she thinks of him.

Jake huffs softly, a little amused. "You got his number?" he asks Leah, digging Harry's phone out of the wizard's back pocket. Leah nods and reads off the number, watching Jake as he enters it in Harry's phone. "Obviously, I'm not calling now," he says when he realizes it's after 11. "But tomorrow I guess should be good enough." He leans back, tapping the front of Harry's phone thoughtfully.

"Do you think he'll try to hurt you guys?" He looks between Leah and Seth, his face pensive. He's not as worried about Joe; he hasn't left Draco's side much since they moved here and he can easily handle himself.

"No," Leah sends him a wicked grin. "That asshole couldn't catch me and he still likes Seth enough not to have anyone ambush him." She leans back, carefully perching Leo on her other shoulder, stroking his small tail. "Why?"

"Just wonderin'..." Jake mumbles, but is easily heard.

"Jake doesn't let me go anywhere alone," Seth offers, finishing his soda, bringing a fist to his mouth to stifle another burp. "I think he was afraid Sam or one of his boys would try to hurt me. I already said they wouldn't but you know how Jake can be," he says with a grin.

He leans back, folding his arms behind his head and kicks his feet up to rest on the table. "Besides, I like stayin' here, since it's too late now to be takin' me home and all." He almost adds he's practically got his own room just to shove Leah's face in it but he's pretty sure Harry will offer her the same now that she's with Jake.

Jake gives Seth a stern look before he looks at Harry, "Is it okay?" Harry hasn't had a problem with any of the pack staying here, especially Seth, but he doesn't want to just assume.

Harry nods, "Sure, I don't mind. Seth's always welcome. We've got plenty of room for Leah, too," he says with a grin and a wink at her. "It's kinda bland at the moment but I can perk it up a bit if she stays often." He's looking at Jake but addressing both of them, trying to make it obvious she's welcome in their home.

Leah sits up taller. "No shit?" Her mind fills with every elaborate room she's ever seen in a catalog. A massive four-poster bed with pink silky curtains or some other fancy shit is definitely going in 'her' room. And bright pink shag carpets. And a big gaudy chandelier, dripping with so many crystals you can't even _look_ at the bastard without wearing sunglasses. Her eyes go distant and a little hazy as she ponders the possibilities.

"No shit," Harry confirms with a chuckle. "It's easy enough to change." He wiggles his wand at her before putting it back in his pocket. She's not really paying attention, Harry notes, but she nods in understanding. "Well, in that case..." he nods down to the mobile still in Jake's hand. "Should you let their mum know?"

Jake shrugs, "Not really. She's used to them being out all the time and she's staying with my dad."

He purses his lips in thought, he's not sure what to think about that. Mrs. Clearwater is great and all but he doesn't know if he's comfortable leaving her to take care of his dad so much. He lets his mind skate away from the way his dad had patted her ass earlier.

"Besides, calling this late would just freak her out. She knew they would be staying here, anyway, telling me to make sure Seth didn't stay up to late when I dropped her off with my dad," he adds with a grin at Seth, who makes an annoyed noise and turns up the TV in response. "Well." He sits up, dislodging Harry slightly, "I think it's bed-time. I got stuff to do early," he gives Draco a glance, subtly breathing out a relived breath when the blonde inclines his head minutely and smiles slightly. "Seth, don't stay up too late, little man. I don't need your mom skinning me alive." Mrs. Clearwater is a nice lady but you didn't cross her or she'd rip you a new one, with a smile on her face.

Seth waves a hand at Jake, "Sure sure. I won't. Harry," he turns slightly, addressing the dark haired wizard, "is it cool if I make more popcorn?" He wiggles the empty bowl at Harry before sending a mild glare at Jake, " And no, I won't burn the house down."

Harry snorts softly, "Yeah, sure." He leans back slightly, letting Draco and Joe pass him. "Just don't finish off the soda. Draco will have a hissy fit if there isn't any tomorrow for his lunch." He laughs when Draco flips him two fingers as he leaves the room but doesn't take back his statement. "'Night Seth," he calls as Jake drags him from the room.

"Leah!" he calls, snapping the girl out of her thoughts while she strokes Leo. "I'll show you your room, but you can do whatever afterwards." He waves a hand around, indicating she can do whatever she wants. Jake huffs sounding annoyed but lets go of Harry, giving him a quick kiss before he heads up the stairs.

"Okay," she gives Seth a light slap to his head as she passes, just because, and follows Harry up the stairs. She whistles as she gets to the top and looks around. "Holy shit, man." She looks over at Harry, "Just how loaded are you?"

Harry fidgets, his hands stuffed in his pockets now as he casts an uncomfortable look at the nearest door. "Fairly," he answer enigmatically. "Its all inherited," he adds quietly and is surprised when Leah's face softens in understanding. "My mum and dad were insanely well-off so..." he trails off, lost in thought a moment.

"You know, I told Jake this already but—" He looks sideways down the hall to his room where Jake already disappeared into, "he refused. He didn't even let me tell him I'd never be able to spend all that money, even if I lived to be a thousand." He steps closer to Leah, taking in her raised eyebrows with a grin. "If I offer you money, will you refuse?"

Leah looks at him a moment, "Probably not. I don't have a dick, so I don't suffer from that pride shit. Besides," she hooks an arm around Harry's neck, "you're practically family now, and you can't refuse family. How much you wanna give me?" she asks cheekily, moving back in front of Harry with a smirk.

"I don't know... I think Jake would kill me if I tried to offer more than two or three million..." he purses his lips, his thoughts drifting slightly. He still notices the look of utter shock on Leah's face, she almost drops Leo in her surprise. Luckily the little kitten has fast reflexes, hooking his small claws into her shorts and scrambling back up her front. "Though, I'm sure even that would make him go mental. I mean, I can completely understand, I would probably refuse too..."

He sighs. He hates having all that money and nothing to do with it. He's already put a hefty sum into an account for Teddy, Remus allowed him that much as his godfather. He didn't say how much it was, he thought with a grin, and by the time they do find out they can't give it back. Not to mention the obscene amounts he donated to nearly every post-war charity. It unsettles him to have it all and not _do_ something useful with it.

"Two or three... million..." Leah says slowly, unable to believe him. The look she gives him says plainly that she doesn't believe him.

"Sure." Harry shrugs carelessly. "Like I said, insanely well-off," he says pointing a finger at his own chest, "and the exchange rate makes it nearly disgusting." He grins and pokes Leah in the shoulder, trying to snap her out of her daze. "I'm serious though. If it'll help..." he trails off, feeling awkward. He wants to help and he's hoping Leah doesn't take offense. He's never quite gotten the hang of social tact but he's pretty sure Leah is the kind of person that won't mind that sort of thing.

"Oh, sure. Who couldn't use a few million..." She snorts and puts a fist on a hip. "You're kinda fucked up, you know that?" she asks, mouth twitching between a smile and a scowl.

Harry grins.

"I mean that in the nicest way possible. But, yeah, ask my mom. I ain't taking anything unless she's cool with it. She might try to refuse but if you let her know how serious you are, she'll probably cave. Now, show me my room." She lifts her chin and stands waiting.

Harry laughs and leads her to the last door, across from the Seth's blue one. He opens it and waves a hand inside, inviting Leah inside. She steps past him, her eyes wide as she looks around the room. The bed is huge, but there's no frilly hangings. The carpet is plush, she can feel it under her toes and she wiggles her toes down deeper, marveling at how thick it is. She can't feel the bottom.

"Nice," she murmurs, looking around. Her eyes get even wider when she sees the bathroom. "Oh fuck yeah!" she says happily, peeking in the room. "A jacuzzi and I don't have to deal with boys pissing all over the floor or leaving the seat up." She grins at Harry. "Very nice. Thanks." She gives him a smile, and nuzzles Leo up to her face. "I'm going to need some shit for this cat."

Harry laughs and conjures a litter pan, pushing it into a corner of the bathroom, and a small fluffy cat bed. Leo just looks at it and snuggles into Leah's shoulder, his face buried in her dark hair.

"Anything else?" he asks pleasantly.

Leah gives him a look, and once she realizes he's not being sarcastic, she points around the room, asking for various things to be changed. By the time Harry leaves 10 minutes later, he's tired and Leah is practically drowning in a sea of pink and purple.

He shakes his head with a smile, he did not expect her to want anything so girly around her. He does a final charm that makes the door covered in glittery sparkles like Leah asked before he makes his way to his room, checking on Teddy quickly and smiling when he sees him spread out on his bed, his hair a dark green and Simon clamped under one arm. There are still Legos all over the floor and he winces, hoping that Remus notices them before he walks in there.

Jake is already snuggled deep under the covers when Harry enters his room and he smiles. He's not sure how Jake can look adorable as well as drop dead sexy, but somehow he does. He's already asleep and Harry spares a moment to regret taking so long with Leah.

He quickly strips and slides in next to Jake, smiling when he shifts with a sleepy snort and immediately grabs Harry and pulls him against his chest with a happy sigh.

~oOo~

Jake sneaks out of bed, carefully easing himself from the tangle of Harry's arms and legs and dresses quietly before slipping out the door. He feels an insane urge to tiptoe but the thick carpet makes such cartoonish actions unnecessary.

He knocks softly on Draco's door, hoping that the blonde answers. He does and Jake averts his eyes with a blush when Draco answers wearing nothing, his hair mussed and his silver-grey eyes narrowed with annoyance and hazy sleep. At least he's angled slightly so Jake doesn't get a full view of his bits, as Harry calls it.

"Sorry," Draco smirks, not looking it at all, at Jake's reaction. He'd forgotten all about helping Jake this morning or he would have at least slipped on some boxers. "Give me a minute. Make sure there's coffee," he commands, his jaw cracking wide with a yawn, before shutting the door quietly in Jake's face.

Jake makes his way downstairs, not really surprised no one else is up. He'd gotten up insanely early and almost expected Seth to still be up watching cable on the huge TV. He gets the coffee maker set up and leans back on the counter lost in thought. Draco makes an appearance just as the coffee maker gurgles its last drop and Jake pushes a large mug towards him. Draco takes it with a smile and dumps sugar in it, stirring it absently as he looks at Jake.

Draco takes a long sip of coffee, letting the smell of the coffee and caffeine perk him awake for a moment before he finally speaks. "Right, let's do this. I don't want to have to speak to Granger longer than I have to, so find your bullocks and talk to the witch." He smirks and makes his way to the fireplace without waiting for an answer.

Jake just huffs after Draco, muttering obscenities at his back.


	8. Chapter 8

Jake watches the whole process of what Draco calls 'making a floo call' with rapt attention. His mug of coffee is loosely clutched in one hand, nearly forgotten, as he watches Draco. He keep a close watch, following every move Draco makes and trying to memorize and learn every step. He's not sure if he's actually able to use the fireplace like Harry and Draco (and Nigel and Remus, of course) can but he still finds the whole thing amazing. Fascinating, really.

First, Draco waves his wand in a seemingly careless gesture and starts a fire in the fireplace with a muttered " _Incendio_ ". Jake watches with curiosity as the fire doesn't seem to burn the lone log at all, just dance around it making light and a little bit of heat.

Draco then takes a pinch of a sparkly powder from a small pot on the mantel and throws it into the flames, turning them an eerie green that reminds Jake of Harry's eyes. A moment later he sticks his face in the flames, startling Jake so badly he almost spills his cooling coffee all over his lap, and hollers out "Hermione Granger, the burrow!".

Jake resists the urge to jump, and barely stifles an unmanly squeak, when a young woman's face appears to float in the green flames like some sort of freaky hologram. She's rather pretty, if you can ignore the mass of bushy, frizzy light brown (maybe? It's hard for Jake to tell with the green tint the flames give everything) hair and the suspicious look in her slightly narrowed eyes. Hermione looks at Draco with a bland expression, but her lips are pursed a bit in distaste or mistrust. Jake frowns slightly, hoping Hermione doesn't ignore the call. From what he understands about the past interactions between her and Draco, he wouldn't be surprised if she did.

He doesn't realize he's crossed the first two fingers of his free hand as he watches Draco look into the fireplace at the young woman. _Please please please_. He's hoping she's still good enough friends with Harry to overlook having to talk with Draco.

"Malfoy," Hermione greets trying to sound casual. She's surprised to hear from the ex-Slytherin but tries not to show it. She'd gotten a letter from Harry just the day before and she expected to hear from him first. She glances behind her, glad no one else is in the floo room at the moment.

"Granger," Draco greets pleasantly with an incline of his head. He's relieved none of the ginger oafs answered the floo and he suppresses a shudder. "I'm sorry to bother you." He smirks when her face goes slack with surprise. "Jacob here—" He waves a hand to someone just out of her line of sight, "has a favor to ask. I only ask that you hear him out before you get indignant or rude with him, alright?"

Hermione purses her lips in annoyance—she is rarely rude!—but nods. However, Draco is already gone and her eyes widen slightly as Jake steps closer approaching the flames warily. Even through the distortion of the flames she can easily make out how huge, and insanely attractive, he is. Her gaze roams over what she can see of his body and face, a small smile curving her lips a moment later.

Harry really didn't describe him well enough.

"Of course, I'll hear you out," she assures the tall man in front of her as he folds himself up to kneel awkwardly in front of the fireplace.

Draco is on the sofa, watching Granger carefully. Merlin help the frizzy headed witch if she doesn't agree or at least hear Jake out. He narrows his eyes at her as he sips his coffee. He smiles at Jake's back; the werewolf is currently poking a finger into the green fire, his face a picture of surprise when he's not burned.

"Uh, Hi," Jake waves uncertainly at Hermione's head, remembering he can be seen. "I'm Jake. Harry told you about me, right?" he asks nervously. When the young woman in front of him nods, he breathes out a breath of relief. He didn't think he could try to explain everything to a complete stranger. "Okay, uh. Well, you know that Harry's birthday is in a couple days, right?"

He squints and leans into the fire, his thoughts on pleading his case—begging if he needs to—and not the potential for burns his brain insists to be a problem when he first knelt down. Hermione seems nice enough, and she hasn't given him any indication, yet, that she's going to refuse, be rude or nasty to him. Jake is still struggling with damp palms and a rapidly beating heart at the thought she will refuse, though. Maybe laugh in his face.

Hermione smiles, already working out exactly what Jake wants. "Yes, I know. It will be... different not to have him here for it. He'll be old enough to drink there. Are you?" she asks shrewdly, raising an eyebrow and looking Jake over again. Harry had said he was only a year or two younger than him but the man looked old enough to easily pass for 25.

Jake blushes at her scrutiny, but shakes his head. "No, but that doesn't matter really. I was wondering..." he trails off, loosing his nerve and starts to chew his thumbnail while Hermione just looks at him. He can see Draco giving him an impatient wave of his hand and he blurts the rest out. "Would you consider coming for a visit?" He tries to stress 'you' and shifts awkwardly on his knees. One definite downside to this flooing thing is the fact that you're stuck kneeling the whole time, or sitting on the floor.

"Of course. I'd love to see Harry." She smiles, and waits for the important part she knows is coming.

"Great!" Jake gushes with a smile, but his face falls into a serious expression a moment later. "Would you, uh, come without your boyfriend?" He doesn't even want to say the guys name, he knows he'll just make a nasty face and doesn't want to alienate Harry's friend. He chews his thumbnail again, worried she'll refuse. It is a lot to ask, he knows. He sure as hell wouldn't go around the world without Harry or like the thought of Harry going without him.

Hermione bites the inside of her cheek as she thinks. She'd already expected that question when she figured out what Jake wanted and she really had no problems with it at all. Ron would only ruin the visit and he'd probably be even worse once he met Harry's boyfriend and his extended family. Things were strained enough between her and the redhead but she wasn't sure Jake, a complete stranger (who probably didn't think highly of either of them if Harry told him all he said he did) needed to hear about her relationship problems.

"Of course," she says again, smiling when Jake huffs out a breath in relief again. "I might bring one or two of Harry's other friends, is that alright?"

Jake plops back on his butt, his knees singing with relief, and wraps his hands over his knees. He looks over to Draco, unsure of what to say to her question.

"That would depend on who you've in mind, Granger," Draco says loud enough to be heard but he stays on the sofa, his eyes narrowed towards the fireplace again. He wonders if you can hex people through a floo; he'll attempt it if she even thinks of mentioning anyone with red hair, especially the twins. No matter they still were nice to Harry, Draco couldn't stand their childish pranks and horrid products that did a number on one's hair and skin should you be daft enough to eat or drink one.

Hermione's head turns toward Draco's voice and she nods thoughtfully, keeping her voice calm. "I'm aware of that. It'll just be Luna and Neville, if they're able to make it." She doesn't doubt either of them would hesitate to see Harry.

Draco waves a hand, a small smile on his face he knows Hermione can't see. Jake nods, understanding that Draco approves of those people and he turns back to Hermione. "Sure sure. There should be plenty of room for them if they can come. I'm sure Harry would like to see them," he slightly raises his voice, making it an almost question.

He can see Draco nod from the corner of his eye just as Hermione smiles and nods. "OK then. I was planning on a small party on Saturday, so if you guys can get here Thursday or Friday and meet everyone first, that would probably be for the best." He's nervous, afraid he didn't give enough notice. He's aware they can just walk through the floo in minutes, but he doesn't know if they have jobs to alert or family to tell. Hermione probably has to talk her bastard of a boyfriend into letting her go, even though Jake has an idea no one can really _tell_ Hermione what she can and can't do.

Hermione smiles, "I would like that." She notices Jake's unease, "It's plenty of time to arrange things, don't worry, Jacob. We'll be there for Harry."

Jake smiles at her, wondering if he should insist she call him Jake, but decides against it for now. "Great. I'm uh, not telling Harry you guys are coming, though. It's a surprise."

He's gnawing on this thumbnail again, worrying it'll blow up in his face and turn out to be a horrible idea. What if one of them starts something with Harry? Or Draco? What if Harry is pissed because he didn't want to see any of them? Oh god, why did he do this? Draco clears his throat and gives Jake an encouraging smile when the man finally shakes himself out of his thoughts and looks at the blonde. Jake nods, feeling encouraged, and turns back to Hermione.

"I think he's not expecting a party either." He shakes his head sadly for a moment. "So the whole thing is going to be a surprise."

"Mum's the word," Hermione says with a wink. "See you Friday then. I'll call to let you know when we can come through. What's your address?"

Jake looks to Draco, confused. "Uh. What?"

Draco laughs softly from the sofa. "Spoons Mansion" he says to Jake, and Hermione, with a smirk. "Teddy helped with the name. He's still getting Forks and spoons mixed up." He shrugs as he snorts lightly in amusement, polishing off his coffee after he settles back on the cushions. He likes the name; it's as good as anything Harry had thought up and they hadn't wanted to use either of their surnames if they could avoid it.

"Okay. Well, uh, it's Spoons Mansion," Jake repeats to Hermione, still lost. What the hell? Didn't she need numbers or something?

"Great." Hermione makes a note on a paper with a feather that appears out of thin air next to her and looks back up. "It's like a phone number for the floo network," she explains to Jake's still confused face.

"Oh, okay. Cool," Jake says absently. He gives her a sheepish smile, finally remembering Harry mentioned she grew up with 'Muggles' and he feels gratitude towards her that she was able to explain it without making him feel stupid. "Uh, is it cool if I call you instead? I don't want Harry to accidentally answer this thing and find out. Do you have a phone?" he asks hopefully.

"Yeah, it's alright, Draco obviously has the address," she smiles. "And no, I don't have a mobile. No one I know has one so I didn't bother. Does Harry?" she asks, her voice excited and a bit hopeful. She'd been wanting to try out a Muggle mobiles for ages. Arthur Weasley was the only one that was interested but he just wanted to play with it instead of _use_ it, so she hasn't bothered.

Jake nods. "Yeah, maybe I can have him get some for you guys. This floo thing is cool and all but it's kind of a pain." He grimaces and shifts his position, feeling one of his butt cheeks going a little numb. The carpet felt soft and plush before he had to sit on it and chat for who knows how long. "I'm sure we can show you guys how to use them. I mean, Draco figured it out really quickly." He grins at Draco, who yells 'Oi!' and gives him a two finger salute.

Hermione stifles a laugh with her eyes slightly wide, unsure how to take a playful Malfoy, and nods. "Most definitely. Alright, talk to you later Jacob. And thank you," she adds with a slightly sad smile.

Jake gives her a puzzled look. "You're welcome."

"For everything," she clarifies but Jake is still giving her a puzzled look. "For being there for Harry, making him happy."

 _Oh_. "Oh." Jake says, rubbing the back of his neck suddenly feeling embarrassed. He doesn't think now was the time to mention any negative history between her and Harry. Well, her boyfriend and Harry. He smiles instead. "It's my pleasure." And it is. He'd do anything for Harry.

Hermione just sends him another soft smile and the floo shuts off with a soft snicking 'whoosh', leaving Jake to stare at the back of a somehow cool fireplace. He gets up with a grunt, massaging his tingling butt cheeks and gives Draco a smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Draco says, tapping his mug thoughtfully with his index and middle finger, his blunt nails making a soft clinking sound. "I'm not sure I can handle Looney coming here," he says with a dramatic shudder but he's smiling slightly. He knows Harry will be thrilled to see her, though.

"Looney?"

"Yes, Luna Lovegood. You'll soon see why I call her that," Draco says with a smirk. "Well, we've got a bit to plan still, so." He raises his mug and wiggles it at Jake, "I'll need a refill. Lots of sugar."

Jake takes the mug and heads into the kitchen to refill it without complaint. He's grateful Draco is helping him and fetching a simple refill of coffee seems like nothing in ways of paying him back. "And some biscuits!" he hears Draco call out from his place on the sofa. Jake grins and has to remind himself that Draco means cookies. He looks though some cabinets, about to curse Seth's bottomless stomach when he finally finds some Oreos in the back of the pantry. He shrugs, not really caring if they're the wrong kind of cookies.

He dumps some on a plate and brings them to Draco with his refilled coffee. "Here you are. I held the sugar over it for about five seconds, so it should be enough."

Draco laughs and takes the coffee, giving it a sip and sighs loudly. "Ahh, that is good." He looks at the plate of Oreos but takes one with a shrug. "Now, if we can get Granger here without the Weasel, it'll be fine and dandy. If she can't, or won't, come alone, I'm going to have to insist she not come." The witch agreed to come alone, but he didn't trust any of those gingers to respect it even though he couldn't see Hermione being steamrollered into any decision she didn't want.

Jake nods. "No, I agree," he says quickly when Draco gives him a look like he's waiting for Jake to disagree.

Draco takes another sip of his coffee and taps a blunt nail on the handle for a moment. "Alright. I can handle Neville, he's quite a nice bloke once he stopped jumping at his own shadow." He smiles, he was surprised Neville didn't immediately curse him, or Harry, when they first started hanging out together. He didn't become his best mate but he could easily stand to have him around. Especially for Harry's sake since the idiot Gryffindor still likes him, he thinks with a grin.

"And Looney. While she's completely bloody barmy, she was always nice—in her own dozy way—and always stuck by Harry since they met in fifth year." He remembers seeing her normally dreamy face the day of the war; the smudges of blood and soot on her determined face as she fired constant hexes as she circled Harry like a satellite was enough to convince Draco there was more to her than talking about invisible creatures and wearing odd clothing. Not that he told Harry that. Or Luna.

Jake is nodding, making notes on a scrap of paper. "Is this really it?" he asks when Draco doesn't name anyone else and looks at the list sadly before looking up at Draco. Three names. He feels a sharp little spike in the pit of his stomach and heart a moment, the harsh reality hitting him all over again. Harry has no family and so few close to him.

"Yes," Draco agrees softly, his gaze sad as he looks at the paper a moment before he looks back up at Jake. "But these are the people that matter, save us, so it doesn't have to be a big list," he says, clapping Jake on the shoulder and giving him a light squeeze before he drops his hand. "Besides, if you tried to invite everyone that knows Harry, we'd need a much bigger house. Those—" he nods at the list in Jake's hand, "are the ones that he'll actually want to see. So, it'll be perfect. If this goes well, we'll know exactly who to invite when you two get bonded."

Jake automatically nods but stops, his eyebrows going up with confusion. "Bonded?"

Draco's eyes widen slightly. Oops. Well, shit. "Yes. Bonded" he answers carefully. "It's like getting married, the wizarding way, but more involved. Didn't Harry mention it?"

"Not really, he did say something about it in passing but he was going to explain it later. We were, uh, kinda busy at the time." He feels his cheeks warm and wants to slap himself. Draco is growing on him and they get along but he doesn't really want to be blushing in front of him, especially about this. But Draco just gives him an understanding smile, his eyes bright with amusement. (Jake figures it that's the only thing he's doing to make fun, he's considering himself lucky).

Draco nods, understanding. "Mmhmm, I get that," he says, his grey eyes looking distant for a moment. "Well, I'll leave it to Harry to give more details, but really, it's inevitable. And legal." Draco grins and winks when Jake's eyes light up. "So, we really only have to find a wizarding official that does bonding here in the states."

"It doesn't matter we're two dudes?"

Draco snorts; he'll never get that word: _dude_. "No, it doesn't matter that you're _two dudes_. A wizard bonding can be done regardless of gender. Arranged marriages are still done and those aren't like a bonding. A bonding is more to do with actually connecting magical cores than just some paper that says you're married." He stops there, not wanting to go further.

"Anyway, discuss it with Harry. He'll probably want to go sneak off and get it done in some dank little corner so make sure you stand up for a big do. Huge. He can afford it and he's worth it. Even if you don't want one." Draco raises a pale brow at Jake, seemingly daring Jake to defy him. Jake nods quickly and Draco smirks, draining his mug of coffee. "Good," he says and gets up. "I'm going back to bed." He yawns, seemingly unaffected by the two cups of highly sweetened coffee. He tips his mug at Jake in a silent salute and Jake hears him in the kitchen a moment later, putting the mug in the sink.

Jake yawns and realizes it's just barely 7 am. Going back to bed seems like a great idea, especially since he doesn't have to be anywhere today until at least noon. He quickly makes his way back upstairs and slips quietly into the room he shares with Harry. He smiles at the sleeping form huddled under the blankets and he quickly strips, his eyes on Harry the entire time.

He can only really see Harry's head poking out. His hair is a dark mess on the pillow as he lays curled up, a loose fist under his chin. His pale lips are slightly parted and his eyelids are jerking lightly as he dreams.

Jake stares mesmerized at the inky lashes feathered against the pale cheeks, his finger reaches out and brushes lightly along one cheekbone before he can stop himself. Harry shifts a little, sighing softly in his sleep and he breathes a quiet sigh of relief that he doesn't wake him. He walks to the other side of the bed and carefully slips in between the covers behind Harry, scooting closer until his knees are brushing the backs of Harry's thighs. At the contact, another soft sigh comes from Harry as he turns and curls himself around Jake's chest with sleepy movements, making him smile and close his eyes. He drifts off to sleep, Harry's wild hair brushing his chin.

~oOo~

Jake wakes up sometime later. Alone. He reaches a hand out and pats the bed, feeling warmth still present in the smooth cotton. He hears the shower running and debates with himself. Does he go in or give Harry some space? He grins. Harry certainly would not mind if he joins him, he's offered numerous times. Jake jumps up from the bed and shimmies out of his boxer briefs on the way to the bathroom, pausing only to kick them into the hamper doing a silly little dance when they sail right in. He eases the door open and nearly swallows his tongue when he looks into the shower stall and he's thankful the glass is clear and doesn't fog since Harry put a charm on it.

For probably the thousandth time, he sends a silent thanks for magic.

Harry is standing there just barely under the spray, his head thrown back as he slowly jerks himself off. Jake steps closer, his already hard cock gives a twitch and feels almost painful now as he watches Harry's hips jerk as his cock slides wetly though one tight fist. Harry's other hand is behind him and Jake groans when he realizes he's working his fingers in his ass. He expects it should look awkward but it doesn't. It's insanely fucking sexy. He steps closer and carefully opens the shower door, not wanting to surprise or scare Harry.

Jake looks intently at the dark green gaze he's met with when Harry's head tilts back up and his eyes slowly open all the way. It's so intense, Jake feels his hips twitch towards Harry and his moan echos loudly in the large, steamy room. Harry's lips curl into a slow, sexy smile but he doesn't stop his movements. Harry moans wantonly a moment later as he roughly brushes his prostate, his head tilting back again.

Jake looks down licking his lips at the sight of Harry sliding through his fist. He watches the darkened shiny head peek through and then disappear through Harry's fist in regular intervals and he wants to smack Harry's hands away and replace them with his own. Or his mouth. Oh god, does he want.

He finally steps towards the shower and blinks when Harry looks up and shakes his head at him, his throat working with the effort to speak. He distractedly watches Harry's Adam's apple bob, he wants to lick and nibble it. He wets his bottom lip, still watching Harry struggle with speaking.

"No," Harry pants out, both hands speeding up slightly. Jake standing there, watching with dark lust filled eyes, isn't helping his libido at all. He groans, his eyes slipping closed tightly. He can't stop Jake, not right now, he can only hope Jake will listen. "I can't," he chokes out, his hips stuttering slightly. Oh gods, he wants Jake but he _can't_ and it's makes him whimper softly in frustration.

Jake's eyes reluctantly leave the sight of Harry's hand and cock and he looks up into Harry's eyes. Harry's pupils are so wide his eyes almost look black; he's obviously insanely turned on. He doesn't think Harry is saying no because he's happier jerking off. It's sexy to watch but he feels left out because Harry keeps _looking_ at him and moaning each time he moves or looks down Harry's body. "Why not?" he asks, whining a bit as his whole body trembles slightly, straining with _need_ and _want_ to touch Harry. Taste him. Be _in_ side him. He stays still though since Harry said 'no'.

"Oh fuck," Harry whimpers, his hips jerking and his hand tightens around himself as he pumps faster. "Please, Jake. If you come any closer I'm going to wrap my legs around you and ride you until you scream," he manages to say between pants and moans.

Jake just stands there for a moment, unsure how that's at all a bad thing, as his hand wraps around his own cock and tugs lightly. "I see no problems with that," he offers huskily. He's still confused at Harry's refusal but doesn't move.

Harry tries to glare at him but it's hard to concentrate—he's so fucking close. "Jake, I have no interest in being knocked up right now," he finally says through gritted teeth, unable (and not giving a fuck at the moment) to find a better way to say it. He's nearly at the point where he doesn't care, he's going crazy with lust and _want_. Oh Merlin, he feels the need to have Jake inside him like a physical ache.

Jake takes two quick steps back, understanding lighting his startled face.

_Oh._

"Oh." Jake says.

Harry had warned him he'd get really willing when he could actually get pregnant. Apparently since their magic (or whatever he possesses that was close enough to magic) is so compatible and since they had consummated their bond, magical protection charms are quite useless. No spells or charms would keep him from conceiving, at certain times, and to try would most likely risk increasing fertility. (He still thinks it's a sneaky way for magic to ensure more wizards and witches.) Not that he minds that at all, even if he doesn't understand it, but Harry had looked a little pale when he told him about it. They could maybe try good ol' Muggle condoms but they haven't gotten any yet and he never had a need to carry them around like most guys.

"Uh, can I still watch though?" Jake asks finally, his cheeks hot. He doesn't take his eyes off of Harry, hoping he won't banish him from the room. He'll even promise to close the door and watch through the glass if Harry insists. Harry's smile is sultry again and he slowly nods.

"Stay there. Won't be long," Harry says through harsh, grunting pants. "I nearly impaled myself on that—" He darts a look to Jake's cock, rapidly being fisted and jerked now, "—when I woke up. Had to run in here." He groans, his eyes sliding closed a moment later. "Oh shit," he mutters as his knees wobble slightly and he comes a moment later, splashing against the tiles and the floor.

Jake moans softly, watching as it runs down... only to be caught in the spray from the shower and disappear down the drain a moment later.

Harry slumps against the tiled wall a moment, his forehead resting on his forearm as his breathing slows, letting the hot water wash over him. He looks up and sees Jake still standing there, still slowing wanking himself. Jake's entire body looks pink and damp, flushed with desire and effort. "C'mere," he commands, crooking a finger at Jake.

"No," Jake whines as he shakes his head, too far gone to care that he sounds childish or petulant. "You said stay." He wants to go, oh does he want to, but he doesn't want Harry mad at him later if something happens.

Harry chuckles lowly, his hands sliding over his slick body, a smirk on his face when Jake's eyes eagerly follow their path. "I think I can handle it now. Come here." He smiles when Jake takes a hesitant step forward, his hand simply holding himself now. "Two more," he instructs when Jake doesn't come any closer. "Its okay. I think I can resist you for a moment." He grins. Really, he's not all that confident; even now he can feel a familiar stirring as he looks at Jake.

"Oh, thanks," Jake mutters but moves closer warily, now in touching distance and inside the large shower, unsure what Harry wants or what he's going to do. His eyes flutter shut when Harry quickly eases down to his knees a moment later, his wet hands grabbing Jake's hips and pulling him into his mouth and down his tight, hot throat in one fluid move.

"Oh god," he groans, opening his eyes to look down at Harry as he looks up at him with bright green eyes. Harry smiles around his mouthful, giving him a wink as he starts to move his head in earnest. Slender fingers trail up his thigh and slide around until Harry brushes the crack of his ass. He moans louder, his hips bucking helplessly, shoving his cock further into Harry's throat.

Harry moans, his eyes fluttering closed and he swallows Jake further in. He wiggles a slick finger between Jake's cheeks again and Jake nearly howls as he comes. He spares only a moment of regret that Jake isn't filling him lower and licks his lips.

"Oh wow," Jake murmurs and flops onto the shower floor next to Harry, loosely wrapping Harry in his arms. "I didn't realize it was a bad idea to come in here," he finally says a moment later when he's caught his breath. He stands and pulls Harry up, wrapping him close again but keeping his hands still. "I'm sorry."

Harry laughs softly and nuzzles his nose into Jake's throat. "It's alright. Surprised me too, honestly. And for the record," he looks up and gives Jake a wink, "it's never a bad idea to join me. Anywhere. Ever."

Jake smiles and hums happily in response as he grabs the shampoo, "Turn around." They finish showering. Harry only tried to pin Jake against the wall twice, making Jake groan in frustration. Jake managed to distract him so they could use the shower to actually get clean.

"Uh, don't hit me or anything—" Jake says later as he's slipping his socks on as he sits on the edge of the bed. He had just managed to get dressed, dodging Harry's groping hands as he pulled on his clothes, torn between amusement and frustration. "I need to ask something." Harry waves a hand at him, signalling him to continue. "Okay, seriously, don't get mad." Harry just huffs and stands there giving him his full attention, hooking his fingers in the corners of his mouth to make his lips pull up into a smile. He laughs, "That doesn't help, but okay. Uh, is this, like, going to be every month?" he asks and waves a hand vaguely.

He would completely understand if Harry hexed him; he's basically comparing him to a girl. He feels his cheeks heat when Harry's eyes go bright with amusement and he smirks. God, he's sexy when he does that.

Harry snorts and sits heavily on Jake's lap, facing him. "No, it's not. It's generally more in tune with natural magic so around the solstices and equinoxes, I'll be chasing you around the bed. Or shower. Or table. Everywhere really," he says, leaning into Jake's chest and inhaling deeply. He grins and shifts in Jake's lap. Jake gasps and place hands on his hips to stop his movements.

It's really not fair, he knows that, but he can't _help_ it. Jake drives him crazy on a normal day; how is he supposed to resist _now_?

"I think it's a bit off since... well, we only just consummated our relationship."

He smiles at Jake's still pink cheeks. He makes a mental note to find out what Jake wants to call it. It's more than just sex and he knows Jake would balk if he tried to just say fucking, which isn't right either. Maybe he can allow his inner Hufflepuff out and say making love?

"I'll be sure to give you warning... So, you won't be taken by surprise after today, alright?" He leans closer and kisses Jake softly, having to pull himself away when he wants to deepen the kiss and just ravish Jake.

He slowly draws his fingers out of Jake's hair, he doesn't even remember burying his hands in the dark strands, and places a chaste kiss on the corner of Jake's mouth before carefully getting out of Jake's lap.

"Okay." Jake nods, looking—and feeling—dazed.

~oOo~

Jake spends the next two days in a near-constant state of frayed nerves and complete sexual bliss. He's spending all his free time with Harry, mostly with Harry attached to him in some way but he isn't complaining about that. Harry deemed condoms effective and they had been going through a sizable stash of them.

He's currently laying in bed, next to a peacefully sleeping and thoroughly sated Harry, chewing his thumbnail to the quick. He now has only has one day to figure out how to get Harry away from the house, without him being suspicious or needing a hard quick shag. Also, he's hoping this _mood_ Harry is in will be over soon or his party is going to be really awkward. He definitely has mixed feelings about wishing Harry's super-hornyness away, though. He just doesn't want Harry to miss his party or time with his friends.

He can't ask Draco to take Harry out, he needs him to stay; he's not sure he can handle meeting Hermione without Draco there. He wants Seth and Joe to meet her right away, so he can't have them take Harry out. Maybe his dad could ask Harry to help with something and keep him at his house for a few hours? He knows his dad will do it, but he feels like his dad should be there for the first meeting, too. Shit. Leah is out since he wants her at the first meeting as well.

He pulls Harry close, smiling when Harry's sleep-warm limbs wrap around him and buries his nose in his hair, hoping it'll calm him and help him think. He breathes in the scent of Harry for long moments and ends up falling asleep with no sudden epiphanies.

Jake wakes up slowly, silently cursing himself for falling asleep for only a second. His whole body feels heavy but warm and tingly, especially his cock. He cracks an eye open and smiles up at a flushed and panting Harry. He's perched on Jake's thighs, his hand behind him, obviously working furiously if the twitching and bunching muscles in his arm is any indicator. He has woken up like this the past two days and he finds he really could get used to it.

He wiggles slightly, shifting Harry up his body a bit. He likes to feel Harry's hand brush along his body as he prepares himself when he gets like this.

"I would have done that," he offers, his gaze on Harry's hand working behind him. He would, too; it's becoming one of his favorite parts of making love with Harry. He leans back slightly and puts his hands behind his head so he can see better without craning his neck. He notices there's already a condom slicked up and rolled down on him. Harry must have worked fast, there was no way he would've slept through _that_.

Harry shakes his head once sharply. "I know. Couldn't wait," he pants out before shifting himself further up Jake's body. He's deemed himself ready enough and he lifts himself, one hand reaching back to line up Jake's cock with his slicked and ready entrance.

He slides down with a shaky, relieved moan. "Oh, gods, yes," he sighs, his hands now splayed on Jake's abdomen and hips for leverage and balance. His knees are clutching along Jake's hips tightly as he shifts and moves himself in a steady rhythm up and down.

"Sorry. Was gonna wake you," he says, gasping softly as he lifts himself and slides back down a few times. Oh gods, Jake's cock is able to perfectly brush against his prostate with each move. He moans loud and long as he wiggles his hips in a small circle before sliding back up and down again, his movements speeding up.

Jake takes hia hands out from under his head and wraps them around Harry's hips. "It's okay, I'm up now." He isn't complaining; he'd wake up under Harry every morning. Forever. Happily. He says as much, making Harry give a breathy chuckle as he wraps a hand around his own bobbing cock. He's learned he's not quite able to grip and stroke as hard as Harry needs, especially right now when he's in his frenzy. He can't bring himself to when it felt like he was going to rip the damn thing off when he finally complied with Harry's screaming demands the first time he was this worked up. So he keeps his hands on Harry's hips to help him bounce and slide.

He bends his knees slightly, placing his feet flat on the bed to give himself more power behind his thrusts. Harry's head tilts back and he's moaning and cursing and Jake knows Harry's close, just by the near steady stream of curses and dirty talk now pouring out of his mouth as he moves.

"Oh gods, Jake. I love your cock. Feels so good inside me. Fuck me. Deeper, oh fuck me harder."

Jake would blush if he isn't balls deep in his Harry and concentrating on making sure he comes. It's a turn on, he has to admit, especially when Harry gasps and moans between each word and his whole body twitches and glistens with sweat, grunting erotically with effort and pleasure.

He can feel his orgasm coming and has to grit his teeth and focus on something other than Harry's perfect body writhing and bouncing on top of him. He's so close, he can hear Harry is too, making that _noise_ he does. Jake plants his feet firmly and gives one more sharp thrust, making Harry cry out and come over his chest and belly with one of the most erotic sounds he's ever heard. "Oh thank god," he groans, only needing two more thrusts before he comes, too.

Harry flops forward, his arms draping heavily over Jake's shoulders as Jake nuzzles his neck and kisses along the sweaty skin. "Morning," he says softly and twitches with a soft laugh when Jake nibbles his neck, large, warm palms running over this back and sides. He has a very brief moment of regret for how he woke Jake but it vanishes quickly as Jake's warm fingers flutter and caress him.

"Morning," Jake answers. He flutters his fingers along Harry's spine and over his ass, smiling when Harry nearly purrs against his chest in response. "So much better than coffee," he declares with a grin. And really, it is.

They lay there quietly for long moments, snuggling and calming down. At some point Harry has fallen back asleep and he can't bear to move him to clean up or get up just yet. He just sighs contentedly and wraps his arms tighter around Harry and thinks.

He nearly shouts with relief when he thinks of a way to get Harry out for awhile and grins, barely resisting the urge to rub his hands together with glee.

~oOo~

"Harry?" Jake calls, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He'd just got done talking with Mrs. Clearwater, relief and giddiness flood through him. She was willing to take Harry out to Port Angeles for the afternoon, happy to go along with Jake's plan and take Harry along to 'help' her find a present for his dad. His birthday isn't for another few weeks, but he didn't think Harry will find it odd she wants to go now. He hears Harry answer him and heads into the kitchen.

Oh. God. He's dancing around again, writhing and twitching his hips as he softly sings under his breath. Jake closes his eyes a moment and groans a soft "Stop that" when Harry turns and looks at him, a seductive smile on his face as he sharply pumps his hips towards Jake.

Harry pouts, completely aware of Jake's eyes on his lip, but he stills. "What's up, love?" he asks and drops the sponge he was using on the counter in the sink. He crosses his arms and leans against the edge of the counter, trying not to wiggle his hips at Jake.

"Oh!" Jake almost forgot why he'd searched out Harry and nearly blushes. "I was wondering if you could take Sue up to Port Angeles. She's gotta get my dad a birthday gift." And Jake warms all over when Harry doesn't even pause or ask 'Why?', he just nods with a smile. Jake can't help loving him a little more.

"Sure, she ready now?"Harry asks, drying his hands. "We can have lunch while we're out." He checks his watch, a late lunch by the time they get there, but still. Any excuse to eat out always works for him.

Jake nods and approaches Harry, drawing him into a tight hug, his nose buried in his hair for a moment. He's not sure who's going to be chasing whom around the table at this point and he grins. "Sure sure. I just got off the phone with her. She's ready when you are."

Harry pulls Jake down by his t-shirt and places a searing kiss on his lips before he lets go and pulls back, smoothing the wrinkled fabric with his palms. "Alright. In that case, I'll see you later. If we're not back in time, maybe get some pizzas?" Jake just nods and swats his ass as he walks by, earning him a surprised squeak and a playful shove from Harry.

As soon as Jake hears Harry's car moving down the driveway, he hollers for Draco.

Seth and Leah stroll in, hearing the call and sit and wait on the sofa for Draco to wander downstairs.

"So, is this bitch—oh sorry, I mean _witch_ , going to give us trouble?" Leah asks, snuggling Leo.

Jake isn't sure she's let go of the small kitten since Harry gave him to her. He's already gotten a little bigger and in the right light you can see small irregular spots in his black fur. Last night she had the kitten perched on her back when she'd phased into a wolf, and Leo looked pleased (and a little smug) to be perched between her shoulder blades, his small claws digging in lightly for balance.

Jake shakes his head, smiling at her protectiveness of Harry. "No, I don't think so. If she shows up with some red headed guy, all bets are off, though," he says lowly.

Leah nods in understanding. Anyone with red hair was going to find themselves on the wrong end of four pissed werewolves. And one snarky blonde with a wand, she adds with a smirk.

Draco finally enters the room, closely followed by Joe. They're both smiling and Jake has to shake his head. God, they're worse than him and Harry sometimes and Draco can't blame it on abnormal hormones. "Alright, we all here?" he asks, looking around and steps over to the fireplace. At Jake's nod he points his wand and starts a fire before tossing the sparkling powder in.

Seth makes a low whistle and breathes out a quiet 'Wow' as he watches the flames turn green. He starts to jump off of the sofa when Draco sticks his head in and yells out something. "Holy shit, that's wicked," he mutters when Hermione's face appears a moment later.

Jake checks his watch when he notices she looks sleepy. Oops. He forgot it was early morning there. He shrugs; she didn't have to answer right?

"Hello Malfoy, Jacob," Hermione says, not addressing the other people yet, and Jake hopes its only because she can't see them. "Are you ready for me to come through?"

Draco sniffs, "Of course; I wouldn't have called otherwise." Joe can't help the grin on his face or the smitten look he gives him.

Hermione tactfully ignores the snark and steps back a moment before she materializes through the green flames, stunning everyone but Draco as she walks into the room. (Jake has seen people come out of the fireplace before, but it's still amazing.)

She blinks at the other three people in the room and shifts awkwardly, jumping slightly when a small trunk pops out of the green flames behind her and thumps into her lower back. It falls to the carpet, forgotten, as she looks around the room. Her eyes widen slightly at the sight of Joe, he's nearly the size of Jacob, and then narrow when she sees Draco.

Joe's face is open and friendly even as he fights the urge to maim the young woman giving his blonde that _look_. Draco already told him what to expect with the floo thing so he hid his surprise well, even though it was, as Seth said, 'wicked'. Seth looks utterly shocked, his brown eyes wide and his mouth hanging open shamelessly. Leah, well she's giving her attention to Leo but she still looks like she's eating a lemon or maybe smelling a skunk. Draco is inspecting his nails, a bored look on his face. He really doesn't know why Jake wanted him here, it wasn't like he was friends with Granger so this would go smoother.

"Hello," Hermione finally says nervously, her hands clasped together as she looks around.

Jake notices her knuckles are going white. He steps forward, his hand raised. "Hi, I'm Jacob," he offers, pleased when she shakes his hand with a small smile. Her eyes are darting around again, mostly settling on Draco and Leah. Jake lets her hand go and nods at Leah, "This is Leah Clearwater," he waits for her to respond. She finally does, she just gives Hermione a bland look and a short wave with one finger. Luckily not the middle one, Jake notes with a relieved smile. He points to Seth next, "This is Seth Clearwater."

Seth jumps up from the couch and grabs Hermione's hand, smacking a loud kiss on the back of it. "Hey. Harry didn't say he had such hot friends." He grins and winks at her. Seth grins even wider when he notices her shoulders relax. He didn't like how tense she looked, no matter what history she has with Harry and Draco, he can't stand awkwardness.

Hermione raises an eyebrow at Seth, bemused. She's not sure how to respond so she just smiles and gently takes her hand back.

Joe steps forward when Jake nods at him, "Joe Riverstone." Joe gives her a smile and shakes her hand, too. He steps back, feeling Draco's annoyed expression at his friendliness. He sends him an answering smile, raising his eyebrow in challenge. He likes Harry and he's not going to alienate his friend; he'd already told Draco he was going to be nice until she gave him a reason not to be.

"Nice to meet you," he adds with an incline of his head before he steps closer to Draco and wraps an arm around his shoulders. "And just so it's out there, I'm with him." He tilts his head towards Draco, giving im a sappy smile and an obnoxiously loud kiss on the cheek.

Hermione blinks a few times, taking the information in. "Oh, alright. I didn't know... well, that's nice," she murmurs, wondering if Harry didn't tell her on purpose or if it slipped his mind when he was raving about his Jacob. "Well, thank you for having me."

She perches on the end of the seat of an armchair, smoothing her skirt as she sits. "So, I imagine you've got a question or two?" She looks at Jake, but it's really to everyone.

"Why are you here?" Leah asks, looking right at Hermione as she's stroking Leo under his chin. Jake feels strangely proud she didn't curse or say it with an edge to her voice. It's simply a question.

"For Harry," Hermione says simply. She sighs, smoothing her hair back from her temples with her hands as she sits back in the chair. "I know you think I don't support him, but I do. I've known him since we were eleven, we've been through a lot together. That doesn't simply go away. He needed space, so I gave it to him."

She shrugs lightly with a sad smile then looks at Draco. He's looking at her, his grey eyes intent. "Ron had a hard time with you being friends but I didn't. I thought it quite admirable." She laughs softly at Draco's shocked expression. "It's not easy getting Ron to evolve and he didn't like leaving my side much after... everything, so it was too much strain on Harry to visit often." She looks down at her hands, "He didn't need that stress after everything else. I already apologized to him for that and he understood."

She looks back up at Jake, "I can't thank you enough for asking me to come, Jacob."

Jake nods, coughing lightly to hide an absurd lump in his throat. Any irritation he might have felt towards Hermione evaporates and he smiles. "No problem. Uh, did you have any problems?"

Hermione waves a hand and smiles, "No. Ron was a prat but that isn't a surprise." A sad look crosses her face a moment but she continues before Jake can ask what's wrong. "I talked to Neville and Luna. They'd both love to come." She aims a bright smile at Jake, "Luna was fascinated to learn this is the native habitat for Snizzling Fizzlewags."

Draco snorts a laugh and mutters "Good old Looney."

She shrugs at everyone questioning looks. "No clue, it's one of those quirks that is Luna," she says with a smile and wiggles her fingers. "I said I'd floo them later, give them a few hours to sleep."

Jake hides an embarrassed blush as best he can. "Okay. Draco did some of his magic and squeezed in some more rooms. So, I'll show you where yours is." He picks up her trunk and makes his way out, waiting at the doorway for Hermione to catch up as she waves to everyone as she leaves. "So, did you really have no problems?" he asks when they're walking up the stairs.

"Mostly. Ron ended up giving me an ultimatum," Hermione says with a shrug. She nods at Jake's surprised look. "I was expecting it really. Things have been strained between us for months, I think he just needed an excuse to end things."

Jake sets her trunk down in front of her door and gives her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to cause you guys problems."

"I know, and you didn't. Nor did Harry, before you wonder." Jake nods and opens the door, waving Hermione in before him. "Wow," she says looking around. It's like Harry recreated her dorm from Hogwarts but with a mature flair. She wants to run her hands over the heavy fabrics she can see adorning nearly every surface of the room. Her eyes prickle and she sniffles, "Oh Harry," she says fondly, looking around at the generous accommodations.

"Uh, actually Draco did this. Harry still doesn't know you're coming."

Hermione's eyes go wide and she laughs after a moment. "Well that would explain the Gryffindor theme a little better." She turns back to Jake, "Thank you, Jacob," she says, her voice hoarse. "Really. For everything." She conjures a tissue and dabs at her eyes and clears her throat. "So, I take it that was your pack?" she tilts her head towards the stairs, indicating the people downstairs.

"Yeah," Jake smiles, unconsciously standing a bit taller. "It's a long story, but that's my pack. My dad will be by later, too, so you might want to prepare yourself." He gives her a grin. "He's a shameless flirt and not at all shy about asking questions."

Hermione laughs and steps further into the room, gaze on the big soft looking bed. "How long until Harry's back?"

"I'm not sure. He's shopping with Leah and Seth's mom, so it could be as late as five or six. He doesn't like shopping," Hermione nods with a laugh and Jake grins. "But he's happy to help Missus Clearwater."

Hermione's gaze drifts back to the inviting bed. "Is it alright if I have a nap?" she asks, biting her lip. It seems rude to disappear so soon after getting here, but she is drained. She hadn't slept much after her row with Ron, nerves and anger keeping her up and angrily pacing most of the night.

"Yeah, sure sure. No problem. If you're not up when Harry gets home, I'll sneak up and let you know."

Hermione smiles. "Thank you." She hesitates before she steps closer and wraps Jake in a quick but tight hug. Jake pats her back awkwardly and she steps back, wiping her eyes again. "I'll only be a couple hours."

Jake just nods and lets himself out, leaving Hermione to get situated. He wanders back downstairs, lost in thought. Hermione seems nice and he feels horrible she'd broken up with her (asshole) boyfriend to come here. No, she broke up with him and then came here. He believes her when she said it would have happened anyway, but he still feels bad. (He frowns, he _knows_ Harry would feel bad and blame himself.) Especially since he is relieved he didn't have to worry about the red head coming here any longer.

He makes his way back into the living room and he looks around. Draco is in Joe's lap, Leah is talking to and petting Leo muttering about frizzy headed witches and Seth is watching TV, a bag of chips open on his lap.

Jake clears his throat, fidgeting a bit when everyone looks at him. "Uh, Hermione went to take a nap, so." He didn't know what else to say, so he sits next to Seth and watches TV, stealing his bag of chips.

"She seems nice," Joe offers, ignoring Draco's snort but poking him gently in the ribs. "Hush you. Not that you heard, but she broke up with that quote unquote ginger oaf. So, don't be such a dick to her. For Harry," he adds, poking his bottom lip out and teasingly flutters his lashes at Draco.

Draco scoffs before huffing. "Fine. I'll be polite." He's surprised at the news but doesn't let it bother him. Hermione is much better off without _him_. He never did understand what drew her to him in the first place; the were polar opposites and not in the compatible way.

"I'll make it up to you, don't pout, love," Joe whispers in his ear, smiling when Draco shivers and presses closer. "What about the other two?" Joe asks Jake.

"I don't know. She said she was going to call them in an hour or so." He checks his watch, it's just barely past 1 o'clock. "I hope it not going to be too late. I really don't want to risk Harry seeing them before the party." Which is tomorrow. Ugh, how time flies, Jake thinks with a sigh. He's ready, but it still made his stomach squirm with nerves when he thinks about what he's planned.

Draco gives Jake a pointed look. "How did you plan on that to work? They're _staying here_."

 _Oh_.

Well, _fuck_.

"Well, fuck," Jake says. He hadn't thought of that.

Joe perks up, "Why don't you and Harry stay with your dad?" he offers after a moment, no longer able to bear the look on Jake's face. He looks like someone killed his puppy. And then threw it off a cliff. "It's only for one night."

Jake smiles, his eyes bright. "Yeah, that could work. But uh—" He gives Draco a pleading look, "That leaves just you guys to stay here. With everyone."

Draco sits upright, panicked. How in Merlin's name is he supposed to entertain Gryffindors and Looney? They won't stand for it, he thinks with a flutter of panic. He can probably handle it alright but he doesn't expect _them_ to take it nicely. Joe puts a calming hand on his chest to settle him back down against him, an understanding smile on his face and Draco wants to hex his oh-so-smart boyfriend. Sometimes it's really annoying Joe can read him so well. "Harry better appreciate this," he finally mutters.

Joe laughs softly in Draco's ear, his hand dipping along his Draco body for a moment. "I'll help you, don't worry. Anything you want," Joe reminds him.

Draco smirks, his mind filled with deliciously dirty thoughts. "You'd think you'd learn not to give open ended promises to a Slytherin."

Joe just winks, he's not worried about it. He can't imagine a single thing Draco could ask for that he'd refuse. He pauses a moment; no. Not a single thing.

Jake ignores the two and takes out his phone, sending Harry a text asking where he is. He's hoping he's still in Port Angeles.

_**Still out with Mrs. Clearwater. What's up?** _

Jake breathes a sigh of relief. _Nothing, just wonderin. I'm headed to my dad's. He's bummed and lonely. Drop off Sue there and stay with me?_

Jake's staring at his phone, biting his lip. Please don't ask why... **_Of course. Let you know when we get there. Love you. xx_**

Jake smiles, relieved. He's not cut out for this kinda shit. _Great. I'm still bringing pizza, so don't worry about dinner. Oh, and I'll pack clothes for you. Could be a day or two. Love you too xxx_ "Okay, all set," he informs Draco.

He checks his phone when it buzzes again but it's just a simple, " _ **Alright. xx**_ " so he tucks it away.

He blushes when he looks up to find Draco otherwise occupied in a heated kiss with Joe. He clears his throat, making Draco turn slowly with a small frown. "All set. You'll have to call for pizza or something, though. Oh, and thanks Draco."

Draco smiles and inclines his head. "As long as no one gets killed or hexed to the roof, you are welcome." He glares when Joe laughs. "It could happen," he grumbles and flops onto the sofa next to Joe with his arms crossed. "I wouldn't put it past them," he mutters, glaring at the table in front of the sofa.

"I'll protect you," Seth says with a laugh from the other end, dodging a pillow Joe throws at his head with a low growl. "What? I'm just saying. It's _girls_. _Hot girls_. I'll throw myself on that grenade, man." He places a hand on his chest and nods sincerely.

Draco huffs and flaps his hand at Seth. "Seth, girls are more vicious when out for blood and guts. Granger and Lovegood are both very well trained with their wands, so don't just assume _girls_ can't —or won't—hex your bullocks off. Or replace them. Probably with ones from an elephant. Or a mouse." He grins wickedly.

Seth makes an "Eep!" sound and covers his crotch. "Gotcha. Be nice to the witches. But still." He wiggles his eyebrows at Draco. "Hot girls."

Draco snorts. He really can't say if they are hot or not so he just shrugs. "Sure, fine. They're hot girls. You're drooling, mutt." He points a finger at Seth's chin and smirks.

"Ha-ha." Seth makes a show of wiping his chin with a grin. "Dog jokes. Funny. Like I haven't heard _those_ before," he snorts a laugh and focuses on the TV again.

~oOo~

Hermione makes her way down to the living room about two hours later, looking and feeling refreshed. She's tamed her hair into a messy bun and changed into Muggle clothes, happy to be able to wear jeans without getting odd looks. She looks around the house as she finds her way back into the main room the floo is in. She smiles; the house is big but very warm and homey feeling. Her smiles grows knowing Harry is happy here.

"Hi," she greets quietly, seeing Jake and Seth on the sofa watching a large screen telly. She blinks at it. It's nearly the size of a small car.

Seth turns to her first and grins, patting the spot next to him invitingly. "Hi! Wanna watch TV with us?"

Hermione edges into the room warily. She doesn't see Draco, Joe or Leah. She's not sure if she's relieved or not. Draco is really the only person she knows here, aside from Harry, and even his snarky presence would be welcomed even though both the werewolves are quite calm and welcoming.

She sits down, giving Seth a pointed look when he scoots closer when she settles back on the sofa.

He just grins back unabashedly and kicks his feet up on the table and drapes an arm casually on the cushion behind her head. "You've seen TVs right?" he asks and waves the remote at the TV. He'd been shocked when Draco admitted to never seeing one before coming over here.

Hermione smiles and nods. "Of course. My parents are Muggles." She pauses, ready to explain, but Seth is nodding, apparently well aware of what a 'Muggle' is. "I haven't seen one recently, however, since wizards don't have them."

Seth gapes, "What? That's crazy! Why not?" It does explain Draco's complete ignorance but still... why not? Insanity, pure insanity.

Hermione shrugs. "They've radio and moving pictures. Who knows; wizards tend to be stuck in the dark ages with some things. Jacob," she turns, politely dismissing Seth. "Is it alright if I call Luna and Neville now?"

"Sure sure. I was waiting until then to head out. I'm staying at my dad's with Harry until the party. So everything is a surprise," he clarifies, feeling kind of like a dick for leaving Harry's friends with Draco and complete strangers.

"Oh," she says, obviously figuring that out. "I see." She chews on her lip a moment. "Is Draco alright with us being here?"

Jake tries not to wince. "Yeah," he half-lies. "He's okay with it. He seemed nervous you guys wouldn't like it, but he'll behave." He doesn't see a need to inform Hermione that Joe's promises of numerous, most likely filthy, activities will be helping Draco to be nice. "Plus Remus, Teddy and Nigel will be here. At some point," he smiles.

Hermione blinks at Jake a moment. Draco is _nervous_ about them being here? Huh, she could understand it, now that she thinks about it. They're Harry's friends and even though they were civil to Draco in the past, they always had Harry as a buffer. No doubt Draco would be irate if he knew Jacob had said that to her.

"Alright, I'll have to thank him." She stands, and heads to the floo, aware that Seth and Jacob are watching her closely.

She calls Neville first, allowing him through a moment after he answers. She hugs him briefly before extending a hand towards Jacob. "Neville, this is Jacob, Harry's... boyfriend." Her voice raises a little at the end in question and Jake nods with a smile, shaking Neville's hand. She understood the imprinting as Harry described it but didn't think it appropriate to explain to Neville right now.

Neville is staring up at Jacob, his eyes wide. "Hi, Neville Longbottom" he introduces himself. He doesn't hear Seth's quiet giggle at his last name but Jake does and he aims a kick backwards at Seth's shin. Neville smiles shyly. "Hi. Nice to meet you. Bloody hell, you're tall," he blurts out and claps a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide and apologetic. "Sorry," he murmurs.

His looks behind Jake. "Hello," he says extending the hand Jake just let go to Seth.

"Hey, I'm Seth Clearwater," Seth says as he shoves past Jake to shake Neville's hand. "You're British too, huh? That's so wicked." He's grinning and pumping Neville's hand still. "Oh! Sorry," he lets go and claps a hand on Neville's shoulder, pulling the wizard closer so he can whisper in his ear. "So, you aren't seeing any of these girls are you?" Neville blushes and shakes his head no. Seth grins. "Good good." Seth rubs his hands together, waiting for the other girl to get there. Draco said she's blonde. He loves blondes, not that there are many around here.

Hermione's already calling Luna and helping her through a moment later. Seth's mouth drops open and he mutters 'super _fucking_ hot girls' under his breath and nearly bows at Luna's feet. "Hi, I'm Seth." He eagerly looks her over. She's so tiny! Her blonde hair is so long it hangs well past her (nice, shapely!) ass, Seth notes with a grin. And her eyes are a bright blue that seem to be looking at something in the distance most of the time.

Luna smiles and offers her hand, palm down and isn't surprised when Seth plants a loud kiss on it. "I'm Luna. People call me Looney." She smiles and gives him a silly wink.

Seth notices the girl looks dazed, like she's smoked something. Her bright blue eyes are focused on him a moment later though.

"Oh," Luna breathes after a moment. She slides on a pair of odd sunglasses, one side is blue and one side is pink and the lenses look like prisms. "You're quite beautiful," she gushes and Seth finds himself blushing. "As a wolf, I mean." She smiles brightly at him a moment, "Not that you aren't now either."

Seth sputters, hands flailing a little. "Oh. Uh. Thanks." How the hell did this chick know that? He looks at Hermione and she only shrugs at him and mouths 'I told you'.

No one can ever get a straight answer from Luna when they ask how she knows things, so they've stopped asking and just go with it.

Jake is looking between them with an amused expression until Luna looks at him, her pale blue eyes sharp and focused on him. "Hello Jacob." Her face breaks into a sunny smile and she skips over to him, grabbing one of his hands with both of hers and shakes it enthusiastically. "I'm so happy to meet you. You're just perfect for Harry," she says excitedly, her eyes traveling over him and as she nods happily.

She twirls around to Neville, her hands out as she rushes over and envelops the stunned wizard a tight hug. "Neville! I'm so glad you're here too!"

Neville blushes and pats her back awkwardly, trying to untangle his hand from her long blonde hair. "Th-thanks."

Jake snorts a quiet laugh. "Okay, I'm afraid that Harry isn't here, I'm hiding him until the party so this all stays a surprise." Luna and Neville both nod in understanding. "Draco is here," he raises an eyebrow but they both just nod with small smiles. "You're completely free to do whatever you want, and feel free to kick Seth out of the kitchen." He grins when Seth pouts and plops on the sofa with a huff. "I'll sneak over when I can but everything is pretty much set until the party, so please relax and enjoy your stay. Oh, and Remus, Teddy and Nigel are here too, but I'm pretty sure they're at the beach at the moment. Any questions?" Everyone shakes their heads and he shifts awkwardly. "I'm sorry I'm bailing so soon, but apparently I didn't plan this well," he says with a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck.

Luna laughs softly. "It's alright, Jacob." She looks up at the much taller man and smiles sweetly as she pats his arm. He really is perfect for Harry, so caring and strong. She smiles again when Jake's shoulders relax and he smiles back.

Nevile nods as well, "Yeah, it's alright. Maybe we can finally get better acquainted with Draco..." he trails off, surprised he said that aloud.

Jake laughs at the stunned expression before he grabs Seth and marches him into the kitchen, "Okay, listen up. You have to behave or you can't stay here. I'm staying at my dad's, so you've gotta listen to Joe and Draco, okay?" Seth nods. "Your mom will probably be staying with my dad, but I'm sure she'd like to see you." He grins when Seth gives him a guilty smile and nods.

His phone buzzes and he fumbles for it. He reads the text from Harry with a smile. **_We're at Billy's (he keeps making me call him that!) See you soon? xx_**

Jake taps a message back— _On my way! xxx_ —and quickly stuffs his phone away. "Okay, I'm headed out now. Make sure you order some pizzas. Enough for everyone; I think Remus, Teddy and Nigel will be back by dinner. Okay? Can you handle that?"

Seth sucks his teeth in annoyance and rolls his eyes, "Yeah." He snatches Jake's phone and finds the number for the pizza place, tapping his foot as he waits for them to pick up. "Hey, five large pepperoni pizzas. Yeah, same place. Thanks, man." He hands Jake back his phone with a grin. "Don't forget to leave money," he calls after Jake as he turns to leave.

Jake snorts a laugh. He slaps his forehead a moment later and runs up the stairs when he realizes he forgot to pack a bag for Harry. He throws open some drawers and grabs random clothes and stuffs everything in. He'd be just as happy Harry wore nothing, he thinks with a grin, but there's no way his dad would be cool about _that_.

He finally gets to his dad's, with numerous pizzas and ignoring his dad's complaints about the lack of beer to go with the pizza. Did he forget Jake couldn't even buy beer yet? He grabs Harry the moment he makes it through the door and puts the pizzas in the oven, placing a long kiss on his lips. He pulls back to smile at Harry. "Hi," Jake says softly.

"Hi," Harry answers just as softly, gazing up at Jake with a smile. "Sue said she'll stay for dinner but wants to head home afterwards. Alright?"

Jake nods and leans down to nuzzle Harry's neck. "Sure sure. You okay with hanging here for a bit? I hate leaving my dad all by himself and this way I don't have to choose between here and there," he mumbles against Harry's throat, feathering soft kisses along the pale, warm skin. He hums happily when Harry leans his head to the side, giving him plenty to pepper with kisses.

"Not at all," Harry breathes, hands sliding up Jake's arma to rest in shaggy hair. "But I don't think we should be doing this here..." he looks around, trying to sound stern but it's lost when he moans quietly as Jake's teeth nip his throat and along his jaw. "Fuck, Jake," he pants.

A throat being cleared makes Jake raise his head quickly. "Oh, uh. Hi, dad." He doesn't let go of Harry but he straightens, reluctantly, and loosens his hold a little.

"Don't 'hi, dad' me." Billy says, wheeling into the kitchen, but he's smiling. He stops in front of Jake and pulls him down into a hug. "Good to see ya, Jacob." He lets go of a blushing Jake and gives Harry a pat on the leg by his knee. "Nice to see you too, Harry."

He raises his head and sniffs, "Pizza?"

Jake laughs; like his dad didn't know it already. "Yeah. Hungry?"

"Starved!" Billy parks himself at the table as Jake gets plates and Harry pulls the pizzas from the oven, opening the boxes with an appreciative sniff. "Sue!" he calls. There's a feminine voice from the living room a moment later. "Come in and eat! The boys brought pizza!"

Sue comes in and gives Jake a kiss on the cheek, sending Harry a warm smile as she takes her seat. "Well, good. I wasn't feeling up to cooking for you animals tonight, anyway," she says taking a plate from Jake with a grin.

~oOo~

"Jake," Harry whispers. They're laying in bed and luckily his hormones have settled, so they're just laying entwined together. He feels a little awkward doing anything more than a cuddle with Jake, knowing his dad is right down the hall. Silencing charms or not. He really is content to just lay with Jake wrapped around him for hours. Days even.

Jake shifts, looking down. "Hmm?" he answers sleepily, his hand trailing absently through Harry's hair and massaging the back of his neck in lazy strokes.

"Do you think Remus and Nigel are alright with just Draco?"

They hadn't really seen much of the older couple the past few days. They always joined in when everyone had dinner and breakfast and they'd all eat together but they spent most of their time in their room or wandering around taking in the sights of Forks. Teddy would go with them or stay happily playing with Harry (and the entire pack). Sometimes, Joe would let Teddy ride on his shoulders as they ran around outside or supervise Teddy on his toy broomstick.

He was glad Remus was relaxing but he did worry about leaving him with Draco for too long. He didn't want to strain the growing, tenuous relationship they had started.

Jake hums thoughtfully. "Yeah, babe. They're fine," he murmurs. "Last I saw them, they were all enjoying one of the Star Wars movies with Teddy." He laughs quietly, turning his head slightly to muffle the sound in Harry's hair. "He's completely taken with Ewoks."

Teddy kept asking for his own Ewok, imitating the sounds they make almost perfectly as he bounced around the sofa. Or ran around the room. It was especially cute when he'd do it up the stairs, waddling slightly as he made his way to bed.

He hadn't seen much of the older couple since then, even though he was hoping they'd stick around with Harry's friends. He didn't know if they had kept in touch since Remus had taught them, but the older man seemed happy enough they were coming when he had mentioned it.

Harry chuckles softly, "Alright. Good." He's quiet for another moment. "Jake?"

"Mmm?"

Harry pauses, suddenly feeling unsure. "Did I explain bonding yet?"

Jake goes still. "Not really," he finally murmurs. Draco did explain a little bit, but he was looking forward to Harry telling him. Especially since he's pretty sure why Harry's asking. He feels a little dizzy with anticipation and he's glad he's laying down.

Harry sighs and traces circles on Jake's chest with his index finger and quietly goes over all he knows about the process. He doesn't know much, but enough to give Jake a clear idea.

"Wow," Jake says softly and yawns. "Sounds perfect," he says hoarsely, elated there is a way they can be married. He gets a sleepy hum in agreement and lets Harry slide to his side but hugs him close, tangling his legs with Harry's. "Good night," he kisses messy hair and smiles when Harry snuggles closer and sighs happily, a quiet "'Night" muttered before he's breathing deeply.


	9. Chapter 9

Apparently when Jake woke up this morning, he decided to feel mopey and maudlin. (His nerves about Harry's party later only slightly lifted when he woke up with a warm Harry-blanket wrapped around him. Harry calls him 'tetchy' and Jake really has to work to keep from smiling so he didn't ruin his funk.)

Oh. And horny, but that didn't go well, either.

Harry politely refused his offer to join him in the shower, even going so far as to slip out of his arms and run out of the room with a surprising giggle that made him groan in frustration.

OK, he isn't all that keen on the chance of his dad hearing or catching them either but it's mostly just a jolting surprise having to change gears so suddenly from 'wake up with Harry sprawled naked and wanting on top of me' like the past few days to 'peck on the cheek only' he's getting now. Not that he's complaining... OK, he is, a little. He can understand Harry's reluctance and he honestly shares it but Harry doesn't have to practically run out of the room and lock the bathroom door behind him.

Jake grins.

Well, alright, maybe he does. He saw the look in Harry's eyes that screamed his need at him and it clearly was a near thing. He mentally applauds Harry's strength of will. _He_ would have had Harry against the door or been on his knees in another moment. He has to lay on his bed and think of all sorts of boring and downright terrifying things before his hard-on goes away since he can't be bothered to take care of it himself. His traitorous mind tries to imagine Harry, wet and naked, jerking off in the shower and he wants to slap himself. Instead, he grabs his phone.

He glances at the closed door, towards the bathroom with a smile before he goes back to studying his cell phone. Well, more accurately, a text on his cell phone. From Harry. He's read ' ** _Love you. xx_** ' more times than it was probably deemed healthy.

He bites his lip in thought. He barely even noticed it when he read it last night since he was so wigged out about Harry's friends coming and making sure things were set for the party. He certainly hadn't noticed he texted it back. Is that Harry's way of saying it first? It was casual, like he had said it numerous times; not the serious 'I love you' you say when gazing into each others eyes.

Jake snorts at his cheesy romanticism. Maybe a bit much, but it doesn't stop him from wondering. Did Harry just assume it, so he didn't think it's a big deal? He knows he loves Harry and he would say the opposite is true but he doesn't _know_.

Well, no, he does know because Harry just said it, right? Is he thinking too much about it? They'll do that whole thing when they're ready; right?

Why aren't they ready?

Well, fuck.

Jake mutters "Not helping" under his breath. He doesn't think it's anything as dumb as the fact that they don't 'have to' because they're guys. Guys can tell each other they love them, right? He's heard other guys say it's 'gay' (he spares a brief thought for any poor girl stuck with an asshole that can't even say 'I love you') but they _are_ gay. He figures having sex with another guy is as gay as it gets, so what does it matter if they're sappy and shit?

Dammit.

He's not getting any helpful answers from himself. He huffs out an annoyed breath and flops back on his bed, resting his arm over his eyes trying to block his thoughts.

It doesn't miraculously work.

He flops his arm down and holds his phone up over his face so he can stare at it again.

It is weighting heavily on his mind and heart as he stares at the 9 letters shining down at him. He has no doubts he loves Harry and from the looks Harry gives him, he doesn't really have to wonder if he feels the same. He doesn't want to think this is forced, something that the fucking imprinting is making him feel. Harry had asked as much shortly after they started seeing each other and he had confidently answered 'no way'. It doesn't work like that, as far as he knows. He hopes.

No, this is something real and wonderful that has been growing since he laid eyes on Harry.

He unconsciously turns his head to look towards his top drawer, like he can see the box he knows is in there buried under socks and underwear. Is he doing the right thing? Even after they had talked about the whole bonding thing, he doesn't know and it scares the hell out of him. Is it too soon? Oh fuck, what if Harry says no? Or he isn't sure?

He sits back up, feeling panic claw at his throat. He takes a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. Spot dance in front of his eyes for a moment and he sinks back onto his bed once his breathing is calmed again.

He chews on his thumbnail, lost in thought, and doesn't hear Harry come back in. He does hear the rustle of a towel and a distinct _zip_ noise as Harry opens his bag and starts to paw through it.

Jake sits up and looks. Harry is standing there in just a towel. It's carelessly wrappe around his slim hips and his wild, dark hair still dripping slightly. He watches a drop of water plip off from his bangs and land right on Harry's chest, snaking a wet trail down to disappear into his navel.

He closes his eyes, unwilling to look anymore or he'd probably try to get Harry on the bed no matter how much he protested with worries about his dad.

"You alright, love?" Harry asks sounding concerned, raising an unsure hand and placing it gently on Jake's shoulder. Jake looks like something serious is going on. Harry chews his top lip, fearing he is still upset about he'd turned him down this morning. Oh, and running off.

He didn't _want_ to but he very much didn't want to test how far Billy's patience and understanding extended. He's a very accepting man, thrilling him with the easy, warm way he's adapted to Harry being thrust upon them. Billy didn't bat an eye when he caught them kissing, but there is no way it would have stopped at kissing this morning. It didn't feel right to use any kind of charms against the older man in his own home.

Jake's eyes open and he blinks twice, quickly, before he blurts out: "Do you love me?" He flinches slightly at the desperate and accusatory tone.

Harry doesn't even pause, but he does smile. "I do, yes." He does pause now, looking curiously at Jake. "Is that was this is all about?" he waves a hand at Jake's still too-serious facial expression and slumped posture.

He isn't sure whether or not to feel relieved; he's torn between feeling relieved that Jake isn't pissed at him for earlier and saddened that Jake didn't know the answer already. Jake is still adorably shy at times, but at this moment he doesn't find the uncertainty he sees on Jake's face or in his warm brown eyes adorable. No, it's closer to gut wrenching. He sighs softly, annoyed with himself.

Jake nods once, slowly. "Yeah," he breathes. His brain finally catches up to what Harry had said before and he sits up straighter, his eyes widening as a smile grows on his face. "You do?" he asks in that same breathless whisper. An indescribable feeling flushes through him, making everything seem bright, heavy and light all at the same time.

"I do, yes," Harry repeats with a smile. "Didn't you know?" He steps closer. Jake's eyes are still wide but there's so much going on behind them he can't quite define it other than they're practically sparkling. He cups Jake's jaw and leans down slightly. "I love you, Jacob Black." There. No way to misunderstand that.

He smiles at Jake's dopey expression and wants to kiss him, so he does. He's surprised he doesn't feel fear or panic, worried that his feelings aren't returned or be used against him. He's _never_ felt that before and he closes his eyes to enjoy it for a moment.

Jake makes a strange strangled squeaking sound and grabs Harry around his waist and pulls him hastily down into his lap, crushing Harry to his chest. He ignores the towel hitching up and nearly falling off Harry's damp body.

"Oh thank god. Good, because I love you, too." His face hurts from how big he's smiling but he can't make his mouth relax.

Not that he's trying very hard, but he can't kiss Harry like this, so he makes a Herculean effort and finally leans down to kiss Harry hard once he's got a little control over himself. There's a little too much teeth but he doesn't care. Harry loves him, so it's perfect. Harry makes a muffle gasp and now there are lips and a little bit of tongues and Jake sighs into the kiss. Oh, no; _now_ it's perfect. Harry loves him.

The last 10 minutes of self torture seem incredibly stupid and he flushes with embarrassment at his earlier thoughts and doubts.

Harry leans back. "Have you been sitting here torturing yourself with this?" he asks, one dark eyebrow cocked up his forehead. Jake is so easy to read sometimes; he looks embarrassed and slightly annoyed with himself. He brushes some of the dark hair out Jake's eyes and kisses him softly on the chin. "Oh Jake," he sighs, trying to sound exasperated.

Jake briefly wonders if Harry _knows_ how fucking sexy it is when he does that eyebrow thing and clears his throat. "Uh, yeah sorta." When Harry tsks at him and shakes his head, he feels an insane urge to defend himself. "Well, it wasn't like I didn't have a reason to. I saw this." He shoves his phone with the text still front and center on it under Harry's nose, keeping it close so he can read it without his glasses, "and it just sorta snowballed from there."

Harry takes the mobile, keeping it close so he can read it. Oh. _That_. Harry blushes darkly and hands the mobile back.

"Oh. Well. I meant it, so..." He shrugs one shoulder, unsure how to end his thought. He did mean it, he hadn't really even thought twice when he wrote it. Merlin, how did Jake still make him blush? "Did you think I didn't?" he asks Jake after a moment. Did Jake not believe him? Why would him writing that send Jake into confusion?

"No. I mean, yeah. Yeah, I thought you did. Mean it. Pretty sure, anyway. But I wasn't sure since we hadn't said it yet, you know?" Jake feels like an idiot saying it out loud but Harry's sheepish expression makes him feel a little bit better. It's almost cute how stupid they are together.

"Oh. I did," Harry says quietly. "I wasn't sure if you were awake or not, but I guess now I know you weren't."

It was only a few days ago, just before he went completely barmy and attacked Jake any time the man stood still. The memory was kind of hazy, he just remembers it was a particularly sweet and slow mood when it hit him that he loved Jake. It wasn't the longing affection or indescribable pull of the imprinting; it had, at some point, shifted into love and he'd nearly stopped breathing at the realization.

Oh shit. Jake feels like a complete asshole now. "I'm sorry," he says and rests his forehead on Harry's. "I feel like an asshole now."

Harry laughs softly, cupping Jake's face. "You were asleep." He clarifies but it only seems to make Jake feel worse since he groans. Harry leans down so he can look at Jake in the eye. "No, I meant don't feel bad because you had no idea I'd said it." He places both palms on Jake's cheeks, "But you're wide awake and very alert this time so please don't worry about it."

Jake nods and quietly mutters an "Okay", hot relief, warm feelings of love and cool gratitude make him shiver and shudder lightly and his body break out in goosebumps for a moment. "Okay," he repeats and stands still clutching Harry.

He waits until Harry slides his feet down so he can stand before he kisses him softly again. "Get dressed, I'll even be a gentleman and leave the room." He grins and leaves his room, dodging Harry's hand as he tries to smack at him. He shuts the door and sneaks a listen before tiptoeing to the kitchen to see if his dad is up.

He is. And he's already made coffee, sitting at the table eating some brightly colored cereal from a big yellow bowl.

"Hey dad," Jake greets and leans against the counter, crossing his ankles and his arms.

Billy's spoon stops the trek to his mouth when he looks up at Jake and he takes in the serious expression on his son's face. "Morning Jacob." He lowers his spoon and sits back, giving Jacob his attention. "What's up?"

Jake sighs, listens to make sure Harry is still in his room, then opens his mouth to tell his dad 'what's up'.

~oOo~

Draco makes his way upstairs to his room, Joe following along behind him (and no doubt staring at his arse), pondering the awkwardness that was breakfast. Everyone was there— except Jake and Harry, of course.

Teddy somehow kept it from being downright torturous with his perky attitude and constant chatter about everything and anything that popped into his mind and trying to make furry creatures with his pancakes and bacon.

Neville, Luna and Hermione (yes, he can call them by their names—he does know them) all looked a bit worn out, still battling with the time difference. 8 hours was a rather big hump to climb; Draco remembers his first few days as he adjusted and the near constant feeling of exhaustion. Coffee helps, but he recommended a nap so they'd be bright and awake when Harry and Jake got back.

Luna _hugged_ him (he was too stunned to do anything but stiffly pat her back) and twirled away.

Remus had given him a knowing nod when he excused himself and Draco absurdly felt like some secret agent when he realized it was the older man's way to signaling the party arrangements were done. It was mostly just making sure there was enough food and drink for everyone but that could be a tall order when dealing with numerous teenaged werewolves. Seth promised to bring the cake, apparently his mom was a whiz with that sort of thing. He was told only that "it's gonna be huge and probably covered in chocolate".

Since it was the next best thing to a Weasley cake Harry usually had, he'd nodded a thanks and clapped Seth on the shoulder.

He steps into his room, Joe brushing past him and trailing a hand over his hips and stomach as he passes, and just leans against the closed door a moment.

Joe folds himself into one of the chairs Draco has in his small sitting area and takes out his phone, taping the screen and becoming engrossed a moment later. Usually he'd pin Draco to the door or just pick him up and carry him to bed but it seems he's well aware that Draco needs a few moments to think.

Draco smiles as he watches Joe, feeling slightly dazed as usual when he looks at him. It still takes him by surprise sometimes, the intense flood of emotions that course through him when he sees, touches or even thinks about Joe.

His smile turns into a smirk; it's gratifying to have Joe wrapped around his little finger, too. Though, he's no pushover; Joe is perfectly able to handle him in every situation. His smirk drops into a small frown; he's not sure how to deal with someone knowing him so well. It's at once amazing and an annoyance.

He'd thought it would be awkward that Joe knew everything about his past but Joe had just shrugged, claimed people made mistakes and grew. He said it made Draco easier to love. It wounded his pride to feel grateful, and Joe's impish smile clearly showed he _knew_ what he was thinking. The only others that knew him so well are his mother and Harry.

They didn't spend _all_ their time together, no matter what Harry (or Jake) implied. Joe has a full time job, which he loves, and Draco found that he did enjoy how good Joe is with his hands. He didn't even mind the times they were stained with various car fluids, secretly enjoying the contrast against his fair skin when Joe would hold his hand or touch him. He likes that Joe takes pride in what he does but he hasn't yet felt the urge to find his own job. He has yet to be bored, so he hasn't bothered.

Draco's smile fades when he remembers the past week, though. Joe had been visiting his dad, like he has since practically moving in with him and Harry, but he came back looking sad and a little angry.

The anger was the most surprising. He hadn't ever seen Joe truly angry before and it made his gut clench and his chest tight with the overwhelming urge to sooth and comfort. It had taken him over an hour (and a full body massage) to pry out what was wrong and he didn't know how to fix the problem when he finally had. He could only listen, offer his support and comfort.

Joe had found his father slumped over the kitchen table, panicking him until the strong smell of alcohol reached his nose, making his eyes water slightly by the pungent smell. He sighed sadly and tried to rouse his drunk father on to have him mumble and strike out, punching Joe right in the eye.

The punch wasn't a big deal—Joe could take a punch—but that his father had _meant_ it. It wasn't just some drunken response to being moved or surprise was what hurt Joe. His father had gone on a drunken rant about how Joe was no good, a fag werewolf that he didn't want anything to do with. Joe had left after making sure his father was safely in bed and that there was food in the house (though he had his doubts it was going to be eaten). His father's mumbled apologies as he tucked him in just made Joe grit his teeth against saying anything else that could set his father off again.

Joe hadn't been back to visit and Draco didn't have the heart to push the issue. He could understand having a father that was a bit of a bastard. He comforted his Joe the best he could, letting the issue drop after making it very clear he was there and always will be. It had been rather nerve-wracking to say it, but the answering smile and kiss Joe gave him had made it very worthwhile.

It's true, after all, and Joe needed to hear it.

Draco shakes his head a little, trying to rid the thoughts, and approaches Joe quietly. He's a few meters from Joe's causally reclining body when he can _feel_ Joe's attention shift from his mobile to him and he smirks.

He plucks the mobile from Joe's hands and settles onto his lap, leaning back slightly to place the phone on the floor. He's tempted to just throw it over his shoulder but he doesn't want to have to buy Joe another phone. Again.

(He already ruined one when he dragged Joe, fully clothed and ready to leave for work, into the shower with him last week. Joe didn't complain of course, it was impossible to when Draco's lips cut off any protests he _might_ have made. He quickly cast a drying charm on him later but the phone was a lost cause. The water damage was bad; little bubbles could be seen floating around behind the screen. Magic, apparently, was even worse for the small electronic device, since it made a wet popping noise and a plume of acrid smoke wafted out of it when he had pointed his wand at it.)

"Thanks for your help earlier," Draco murmurs, slumping slightly so he can wrap his arms around Joe's waist and rest his cheek on his chest. He nuzzles into the warm firmness. "It went a lot easier."

Joe can feel Draco smiling against his chest as he raises a hand to caress along his back, slipping his hands under the button down shirt so he can slide along soft, warm skin. "Welcome," he shifts himself forward in the chair a little, comfortably settling Draco's weight on the heavier part of his thighs.

He's not sure which Draco is thanking him for; being there at breakfast as they sat and quietly ate or his help setting up the Quidditch pitch in the back yard. He doesn't really care, he's happy to help with both.

"Hiding in here probably isn't the best idea," he offers helpfully after a moment of just sitting together. He doesn't _want_ to join the others, but it is rude to just hide up here. Even if Remus is perfectly OK with entertaining everyone, it's Draco's house. Draco is usually quite insistent about what's proper and all that shit.

"I know," Draco mumbles against Joe's chest. He lolls his head to the side and looks up at Joe from the corner of his eye. "I _know_ ," he repeats when Joe smirks at him. "I didn't plan on hiding up here _all_ day." He huffs and settles back to his original spot, bringing a hand up to pet along Joe's chest, grinning as a nipple hardens under his t-shirt when he brushes his fingers over it. "I _was_ going to shag you silly, but you're right—"

He shifts and goes to slide off Joe's lap but he's stopped by Joe's hands circling his hips. "What?" he asks, making his eyes wide and innocent. "I thought we should go downstairs and entertain our guests."

Joe growls lowly, making Draco shiver, and leans forward to kiss Draco hard on the mouth. He nips Draco's lower lip when he pulls back. " _Now_ we can go downstairs," he says with a smirk, ignoring Draco's indignant scowl and easily stands with Draco pressed to him.

He wiggles his hips until Draco unlatches himself from him and his feet hit the floor. Draco is still pouting and Joe can't help himself. He gently bites the pink lip sticking out, running his tongue over it a moment later. "Don't pout, love. It doesn't suit you." He grabs Draco's wrist and heads for the door, pulling his blonde slightly when he doesn't move on his own.

"You can shag me silly later," Joe promises with a smile and Draco finally moves, grumbling and complaining about 'annoying, house crashing sodding Gryffindors', but at least as he follows behind Joe.

Joe's laugh only makes Draco grumble louder for another few moments.

"Fine, but I demand satisfaction later." Draco smirks but ends up just huffing a quiet laugh at Joe's enthusiastic nod and hungry gaze. "Since we finished the sodding pitch, maybe I can finally get Granger on a broom and show you once and for all that we really do ride them. I'm an excellent flier, of course, so you really will have to excuse her sorry skills and not mock the poor girl."

Joe laughs again and they make their way downstairs, heading towards the living room which is surprisingly loud with voices.

~oOo~

Hermione stifles a yawn, keenly aware of the blonde witch following her closely. Luna is sharing her room (insisting she didn't need her own) and eagerly agreed that a nap was a grand idea when Hermione had mentioned it. Well, Draco did and Hermione found herself agreeing it would do some good after stifling a fourth yawn while she drank her coffee.

She let the yawn go this time, covering her mouth with one hand. She slips into their room and with clumsy movements begins to strip for bed. Once she's down to just her undergarments, she wonders if she should bother with pajamas or not since she didn't usually. She'd forgotten all about Luna and blushes when small hands circle her waist. She sighs and leans against the warm body pressed against her back, too tired to pretend.

Luna has to stand on her tiptoes so she can talk quietly into Hermione's ear. "Is it alright if I snuggle up with you?"

Hermione shivers pleasantly. Luna's voice is lower with the near-whisper and she bites her lip at the seductive quality. She nods and covers Luna's hands with one of her own. She looks to the large bed and nods again. "Of course, the bed is plenty big enough," she reasons and can just tell Luna is smiling in triumph.

She turns, words on the tip of her tongue when Luna's hand slides up to the back of her neck, easily pulling her lower so Luna's soft lips can meet hers. She moans softly, the words dying in her throat and eagerly presses closer to Luna.

It almost feels wrong not to tell her she can kiss her this time, not that Luna needed the information apparently. She's not conflicted anymore and she's free to feel what she finally wanted to now that her relationship with Ron finally ended.

Luna leans back and smiles up at Hermione. "Draco and Joe told me," she says cryptically, her pale eyes alight with too many emotions for Hermione to pinpoint, but they're direct and staring into Hermione's with a quiet intensity.

She'd been enjoying her pancakes with apricot jelly this morning when Joe had nudged her arm. She hadn't spoken to him very much but liked him. He was quiet but kind; the way his aura shines, especially when he was around Draco, soothed her immediately. He had nodded his head at Hermione and quietly told Luna that she had broken up with her boyfriend just before she came here.

Luna's eyes went wide and she thanked him gratefully (and Draco, but the other blonde just nodded with a slight grimace), not even bothering to ask how he knew. Hermione wouldn't have said, at least not to him or Draco, but she still trusted Joe to be telling the truth. She didn't ask how he knew she'd want to know such information either, trusting he was using some extra sensitive sense to know her feelings.

Or maybe it was the way she couldn't stop looking at Hermione, wishing her fingers were running through her hair. It wasn't as if she hid it.

She looks up into the warm brown eyes, feeling truly dazed and smiles widely.

Hermione's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion when the words finally register. "Huh?" She groans at her choice of words, but it's hard to berate herself when her mind feels so scrambled. Really. How was she expected to think clearly with Luna pressed so close to her after that kiss?

"I mean, what did they tell you?" And truly, she can't fathom what either of them could have said that would have Luna pressing against her and kissing her like she's dreamed of for weeks.

"They told me you and Ron broke up, silly," Luna says softly, amused, and nuzzles into the hollow of Hermione's throat, feeling the heavy swell of Hermione's breast under her chin. Her amusement dies out and her hands wrap around Hermione's hips, almost painfully tight. "I'm sorry if I surprised you." Really, she had wanted to ease into kissing Hermione, mostly so the other witch wouldn't run off. Again. But it was too hard to resist her standing there, so close—close enough to touch—in just her bra and knickers.

Hermione's hands are already caressing along the smooth fabric covering Luna's back, the touch not quite seductive. Yet. "I only told Jake..." she trails off with a small frown. She didn't think Jake would have told anyone.

A brief flair of anger was quickly stamped out when rational thought finally kicked in. Joe has very keen hearing, same as Jake. She'd only learned that a short time ago. He must have overheard her and Jake talking, she realizes with a sigh. Well, she couldn't exactly argue with the results.

She hugs Luna closer, enjoying the feeling of her softness pressing against her.

"I didn't want to say anything yet, but I was going to tell you. I was," she insists when Luna laughs, sending a tingling vibration through her chest that has her eyes fluttering closed. "I so hoped you wouldn't think the worst of me when I told you. I didn't want you to think I was jumping into anything," she murmurs against the soft blonde hair.

It's only really been three days since she'd ended her relationship, but it might as well have been weeks for all the closeness they'd shared the past few months. She'd felt that familiar longing the moment she'd seen Luna walk through Harry's floo. It had been difficult to keep to herself and she feels relief wash through her in a giddy rush that she no longer has to.

"I know," Luna says softly before she pushes Hermione towards the bed. "Nap time!" she chirps, falling onto the bed and giggling quietly when Hermione rolls her eyes but plops down next to her. She doesn't stop to ask if she can, she just scoots closer and tangles herself around Hermione's body, resting her head on one smooth shoulder and wrapping her arm over Hermione's waist. A small smile is still on her face when she drifts off to sleep, her hand finally able to bury into Hermione's soft hair.

~oOo~

Billy sits and listens to Jake for over 10 minutes, going back to his cereal as he listened. It was pretty gross normally but absolutely revolting when it got all mushy and he had long mastered the art of being able to eat and listen. He chews thoughtfully a moment before he points the spoon at Jake. "Okay, I hear you. So, what exactly is making you act like—" He waggles his spoon at Jake, dripping milk on the table, "Some emo teenager?" he finishes with a grin.

"I'm not—" Jake huffs and re-crosses his arms. "I told you. I'm not sure giving Harry a ring, _in front of everyone_ ," he waves his arms dramatically, "is a good idea now," he mumbles, feeling annoyed he had to repeat it. He didn't fear rejection anymore, he now just isn't sure Harry will like that kind of attention. He wanted to ask on his birthday and the party just happened to be at the same time. He isn't sure if it should be done in a private moment or not.

Billy sucks his teeth in thought and taps his mug at Jake for a refill. As Jake comes over with the coffee pot he leans back and grins up at him. "Why would that matter? It's not like it'll be a room full of strangers. It'll be his _family._ " Jake doesn't miss the way his dad stresses the word and he wants to hug him, "And friends there. Sounds about perfect, really."

He leans back in his chair, watching his son. He's proud of his boy for thinking everything through but it's almost funny that Jacob is thinking _too_ much. Even he can tell Harry loves his son, so he can't quite get why Jacob is so... rattled. He thought the imprinting process eliminated the whole 'oh does he?' part of a relationship.

Jake just stands there with the coffee pot, thinking. His dad has a good point. He jumps when Harry walks in, greeting his dad with a bright "good morning" before he gets a mug for himself and wiggles his mug at him when Harry notices he's still holding the steaming pot of coffee.

"Just do it, Jacob," Billy says finally once Jake has poured coffee for Harry and went back to leaning on counter.

"Do what?" Harry asks as he stirs milk into his coffee and blows on it. He looks between Billy and Jake. Jake looks a little guilty and Billy has a decidedly smug smile on his face. He narrows his eyes at them.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Jake mumbles. "I'm gonna go check on something in the garage." He gives Harry a quick kiss on the temple and makes a fast exit out of the kitchen door, unashamedly leaving his dad alone with Harry. He isn't worried that his dad would say anything about their conversation and they got along together really well.

Jake pokes his head in the kitchen door a few hours later. His dad had gone out with Charlie at some point (he had already asked Charlie to drop his dad at Harry's later) and Harry is sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of steaming tea by his hand as he looks through a book. A cookbook, he notices with a grin when he steps in the kitchen and walks over to Harry.

"Hey." He leans down and kisses Harry when he looks up. He holds up his greasy hands and gives an apologetic smile when he steps back and goes to the sink to scrub the grease and oil off, carefully turning the faucet on with his elbow with practiced ease.

Harry rests his chin on his palm as he watches Jake arms and back muscles flex and move as he washes up, rolling his eyes at himself when the just Jake washing his hands makes him want to moan and lick him. He smiles when he catches sight of a pink nail brush clutched in Jake's other hand, vigorously scrubbing at his fingers.

He resists the urge to wander over and plaster himself to Jake's back and tuck his hands into the front of Jake's low riding cut-offs since he has no idea when Billy (and probably his friend Charlie) will be back. It's really not a scene he wishes to be interrupted or witnessed by Jake's dad or his friend.

Instead, he looks back down at the cookbook Billy let him look through. He hadn't a chance to look through one before and he is eagerly looking forward to trying nearly every recipe he's read. "Hey," he calls out, waiting until Jake turns slightly. "Do you like fried chicken?" he asks, pointing at the glossy picture, already seeing himself making it and devouring it.

"Oh yeah." Jake grins and nods, "One of my favorites." He hopes Harry will try his hand at it. He hasn't had it in ages and just the thought of it makes him hungry. He sticks his tongue out when Harry laughs at the loud gurgling noise his stomach makes.

"Well, then. Let's hit the shop. I'll need some things if I'm going to make it later." Grocery shopping is the one kind of shopping Harry enjoys, especially the occasions he brought Seth along. He doesn't think he has gotten a scrap of food yet that Seth hasn't tried. And that included the inedible looking _something_ he found in the seafood case once when he was feeling adventurous.

Jake nods, shaking the excess water of his hands before he dries them haphazardly on a towel. He walks up behind Harry, resting his hands on his shoulders so he can lean over him to look at the book. He rests his chin on the top of Harry's head and sighs, loudly. "I suppose." He grins when Harry slaps a hand up at him. "We should go soon then, since that takes awhile to cook."

They've got some time to kill before they need to head back to Harry's. It's only about 3, so it shouldn't be hard to waste 2 hours or so. He taps out a message to Draco when Harry's attention goes back to the colorful recipe book, his finger absently tapping his chin as he thinks.

After another moment, and a quick glance at his silenced phone, Jake hears "Great!" as Harry scoots back the chair and tucks the cookbook under his arm as he stands. "Did you want to wait for your dad?" Harry asks checking the time on his phone.

"Nah."

.

An hour and half later, Harry is looking through various types of lettuce with a thoughtful frown. The store doesn't have collard greens, something the book recommends as an appropriate side-dish, so he figures a nice salad would do. He didn't realize there were so many bloody types of lettuce.

He wiggles a finger between two varieties, turning to Jake. "Romaine or, er, that one?" he asks, pointing to a dark green, frilly leafed head not even bothering trying to find the name amongst the many listed above the display.

Jake shrugs and once Harry's attention is back on the selection in the produce case he checks his phone. Shit. Now the time wasting is going to make them late. He tucks his phone away and reaches around Harry to grab two heads of the Romaine. "Here, this is fine. Good stuff," he says and laughs when Harry grabs two more with a firm nod. "Okay? Do we have everything?" He looks in the nearly full cart and grins. A quick trip out to get a few things for fried chicken turned into a shopping frenzy.

Harry nods, twist-tying a bag of green tomatoes closed. He didn't bother to wonder why anyone would eat unripe tomatoes but he is willing to try anything once. Especially if it's fried.

"Yeah, and then some." He carefully tosses the bag on top of the pile and stretches, rolling his neck to work out some kinks. "Done. Let's go so I can start slaving away in the kitchen," he says with a grin and stands on his toes to smack a noisy kiss on Jake's lips, his hand sliding briefly around to touch Jake's lower back, before he makes his way towards the front registers.

Jake ignores a scowl on some old lady's face at the kiss as she squeezes melons and follows his Harry, unabashedly watching his ass and hips move as he walks.

~oOo~

Draco paces in the living room, his mobile clutched in his hand. "Where the fuck are they?" he mutters, checking his mobile as if he wouldn't have heard it or felt it go off.

Everyone is either seated or standing in small groups talking, waiting for Jake and Harry to show up.

Seth, unsurprisingly, is staring at Luna who's telling him all about some sort of creature that lives near their newly erected Quidditch pitch. Seth just nods with a big grin on his face as he holds her cup of soda (she tends to gesture with her hands as she spoke and nearly spilled it on him twice) and steadily empties a bowl of chips perched in his lap. Occasionally his gaze trails down her long blonde hair, but Luna doesn't appear to mind and just continues telling Seth about the magical properties of different woods and leaves. She's pressed up against Hermione, barely able to keep herself from sitting in the witch's lap.

Leah and Neville are chatting on the sofa and Leah has relinquished her hold on Leo so Neville could look at him and pet him. Hermione is quite sure Leo is some breed of wizarding cat that will probably grow to be the size of a medium sized dog and only smiled when Leah proclaimed "fucking awesome" proudly when she said it, pointing at the nearly indistinguishable spots and gave Leo a good scratching behind his ears.

Leo has already proven to be rather intelligent, seemingly to follow the conversation and preens when he's spoken about. He rarely left Leah's presence, following her like a loyal dog. His golden eyes rarely leave Leah either and he eagerly climbs back into her lap when Neville lets go of him.

Joe is casually lounging against the wall, watching Draco from the corner of his eye, as he talks with Remus, Nigel and Billy. Remus and Nigel had been wandering the woods around the house earlier and found a strange, but old, smell and asked Joe and Billy about it.

Nigel has an enthusiastic Teddy perched on his shoulders for a few moments before Teddy asks to get down so he can see Leo once he was told he couldn't ride in Billy's chair. Leah likes to perch the small cat on his head and he totally loves to run around with Leo holding onto his hair, usually as it changes colors rapidly.

Draco stops his pacing when Joe comes over,having excused himself from the older men. "Where the fuck are they?" he asks Joe as soon as he sees him and he gets close enough so no one else can hear. He casts a glance at the table nearly groaning under the weight of all the food and frowns. "Can that sit out?"

Joe smiles and pulls Draco against his chest, stroking a soothing hand through pale blonde hair for a moment before sliding down to massage the back of his neck. "I don't know, and yes. You put one of those cooling charms on all that food, so it's fine. Relax." He squeezes Draco's hand gently and shushes the wizard when he tries to speak. "He's with Jake, so it's fine. _He's_ fine. They're probably making out on the side of the road or something." He grins and wiggles his eyebrows and feels relieved when Draco relaxes a little and snorts a soft laugh.

"But still." Draco raises his mobile as he shakes it and glares at it, as if willing it to cooperate and just ring already. "He could fucking say 'sorry, running late' or something, the infuriating git."

Joe chuckles and kisses the back of Draco's neck, smiling when his blonde relaxes further against him. "He's shit at being sneaky, probably doesn't want to do it in front of Harry. C'mon." He tugs and guides Draco to an overstuffed leather chair, flopping down and settling Draco across his lap.

His hands are back on Draco's neck and shoulders, massaging and easing away the tension in them. "Did you get him anything else?" he asks, referring to Harry, hoping to distract Draco for a moment.

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin. "I put a sodding Quidditch pitch in the back yard. _And_ the bloody wards so it won't be seen. What else should I get the ungrateful bastard?" he asks, but he's grinning. Thankfully Joe knows his tendency to be a snarky git and doesn't call him out.

Joe laughs, nuzzling into Draco's neck a moment, thoroughly smitten with his snarky blonde. "True enough. I was just wondering." He shifts slightly and pulls a small box from his pocket. Draco eyes it warily until he sees a stamp of a broom on it, though he doesn't recognize the manufacturer name embossed on it. "I wandered into a broom shop with Remus and Teddy that time we found the wizarding mall. Think he'll like it?" He opens the box to reveal a shrunken broom made with a dark red, shiny wood and yellowish gold bristles.

The utter Gryffindor-ness of the coloring makes Draco snort with delighted amusement. He nods with a smile and presses a kiss on Joe's lips.

"Some kind of American brand," Joe says, eyeing the shrunken broom before shrugging.

What did he know about the damn things? He'd nearly swallowed his tongue when he saw the price but Teddy had yelled that Harry needed it. It didn't take long for it to come out it was for the Harry Potter. Even in America he was known, if only by name. The broom was customized and given free of charge as long as Joe purchased maintenance supplies there and, if possible, have Harry visit the store.

Joe plucks the tiny broom out and wiggles it. "I can't wait to see this," he smirks, still not sure he believes they _ride_ the damn things like in some fantasy movie.

Draco rolls his eyes and plucks the tiny broom from Joe's fingers, eyeing it critically. "It's shrunken, you miscreant. Its perfectly able to be ridden once you put it to right size." He studies the brand and doesn't recognize the emblem, ignoring Joe's "I have something full-size to be ridden" comment as he inspects the tiny broom and the box. "Wild[Fyre]. Hmmm. Interesting name."

He hands it back with a smile. "I'm sure he'll like it. Looks like a good quality which usually means fast and he's nearly suicidal on these things. It's going to give Jake a heart attack." He's not sure if he's amused or not, so he just settles on fondling Joe's chest, lightly pinching and fluttering his fingers around.

Joe just shrugs and tucks the box away once he's closed it again, the tiny broom safely back inside. "Sure. Fuck if I know about these things. But maybe we should find a slow one, like you'd give your grandma? I don't think I can handle a panicked Jake right now," he says. He purses his lips, thinking a moment, "Well, ever, actually."

Jake is usually unflappable, steady and rather easy going, but when it comes to Harry, Jake easily loses his shit and doesn't always keep his cool about it either. Joe worries about Draco at times, too, but he doesn't run around like some mother hen. Of course, Draco won't appreciate it like Harry probably does.

"I don't think so," Draco huffs. "Harry wouldn't actually use the sodding thing and I don't think I can handle a puttering Potter." He grins. Though, if he did stick Harry with a slow broom, he'd easily be able to catch the snitch before him for once. The idea had merit but he wasn't about to admit that to Joe.

~oOo~

Harry and Jake pull up to the house about 10 minutes late. Jake hurries out of the car, dragging a few bags with him as Harry gets out and looks at the house with a bit of concern. There aren't as many lights on as usual and no one has come outside to greet them or help carry things in. Seth, when he's here, is usually the first to bound out to sniff the bags of food and tries to carry everything at once so he doesn't have to make multiple trips. Harry only reminded him once he could just levitate everything in with magic but Seth insisted he 'work for his supper'.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asks, walking up the walkway before giving Jake and then the front door a confused, slightly sad look. He's got the grocery bag clutched in his arms, squeezing it unconsciously. He doesn't mind spending time alone with Jake but he doesn't think the big house has ever looked so empty before. It's a bit sad, really.

Jake shrugs and takes the bag from Harry, wiggling it slightly to pry it loose. "Out to eat? I dunno, but let's get these inside. I think the chicken is dripping," he says with a grimace. He'd wrapped it in two bags and he still shudders at the thought of it leaking all over everything. Ugh. He happily chomps on any number of creatures when he's a wolf but something about raw chicken leaking everywhere just makes his whole body shudder with revulsion.

Harry looks at Jake a moment before he fishes in his pocket for the keys. They use wards on the house and property, but there's something so homey about using the keys to unlock the front door. As he swings it open, he's unnerved by the quiet of the house. Jake walks in behind him, slamming the front door closed with his foot and gives an apologetic smile as he passes him.

He's about to follow Jake when he hears small feet running and Teddy appears as he happily cries "Surprise unk Harry!" and launches himself at Harry with a giggle. Harry easily catches him and swings him in a full circle before settling a loudly giggling Teddy on his hip.

Harry raises an eyebrow at Jake but he sees him shrug, and turn around quickly before he can see his face. Teddy wiggles until his grip on him loosens and jumps down, grabbing his hand the moment his feet hit the tiles.

"Come on!" Teddy says excitedly bouncing on his toes and then he drags Harry into the living room. Teddy is so excited but he promised not to say who is here until uncle Harry has seen everyone. It's a secret surprise! Secret surprises are fun!

As Harry enters the room, he sees Luna first and he stops dead, his face slack and his eyes going wide with shock. He doesn't even register that Teddy has pried his hand out of his, since he was squeezing it and didn't hear Teddy's protests, and already is back across the room standing in front of Leah, reclaiming a purring Leo.

Slowly his gaze roams the room and he sees Hermione and Neville sitting next to a smirking Leah. His friends are smiling at him and Luna is clapping as she bounces lightly on her toes. "Surprise Harry!" she gushes with a giggle.

Harry turns his head when he feels Jake step next to him and he just stares up at Jake for a long moment. In the best way possible, he feels like he's been punched in the stomach. He's so surprised and touched Jake arranged a party for him and managed to get his friends here.

Jake's face is carefully arranged, his eyebrows are up in question and his expression hopeful as he looks at Harry. He feels a moment of panic when Harry just stands there. Oh shit, oh fuck. He's not happy. He's pissed. He's going to be so mad—

His thoughts are cut off when Harry throws himself forward and crushes him in a fierce hug. "Happy birthday," he whispers in Harry's ear with a relieved laugh when he gets his breath back as he leans down to kiss Harry's neck softly. "Are you—? Is this okay?" he asks quietly, still feeling a bit breathless with Harry's arms locked tightly around his waist.

Harry pulls back suddenly, nodding enthusiastically and he's rapidly whipping his head between looking at the living room and at Jake. "Oh Jake, this is—" He stops, at a loss for words and hugs Jake tightly again. "How did you do this?"

He doesn't know what to say; that Jake would go to such lengths brings a lump to his throat and makes his eyes prickle. Oh Merlin, he does not want to cry at all but if it was unavoidable he doesn't want to until Jake knows for certain he's happy. "Jake, this is absolutely brilliant. Probably the best thing anyone has ever done for me," he says sincerely. Without a thought to the crowded room of people he grabs Jake by the collar and drags him down into a fierce kiss, his hands buried in the dark, shaggy hair.

Harry leans back, panting a little and beams up at Jake. "The best."

Jake smiles, feeling dazed and elated. "Good." He nods dumbly, still feeling scrambled from the searing kiss. "Draco helped. A lot," he admits, grinning sheepishly before he gently pushes Harry back and turns him by the shoulders. "Go say hi, Harry," he instructs softly and pushes Harry gently. He grins when Luna is the first one to get to Harry, her small arms wrapping around Harry's neck as she pulls him down to smack loud kisses over his face and forehead.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" she says brightly and grabs Hermione's hand to bring her into the hug with her and Harry. Only Draco notices the familiar way her pale arm curls around Hermione's waist, her hand resting on Hermione's hip, and a pale brow crawls up his face. "Your darling Jacob invited us," Luna informs him once she's unlocked her arms and allows Harry space to breathe. "And," she lowers her voice, sounding serious for a moment, "You're positively _infested_ with Meandering Kipperzings." She gives him a dazed smile and ruffles his dark hair, having to stand on her tiptoes to do it. She giggles as the black hair sticks up in wilder disarray.

Harry laughs and hugs her tightly again. "Thanks for the heads up, Luna." Merlin, he's missed Luna. He turns and grabs Hermione, nearly choking on her hair as he hugs her tightly. "'Mione!" he says and slowly lets her go. "I can't believe you're here!"

Hermione smiles and nods her head towards Jake, who's now talking quietly with his dad but looking at Harry every so often with a small smile on his face. "Jacob floo'd me and asked me to come." She grins at Harry's surprised face and leans closer to whisper, "Malfoy helped him. I nearly swallowed my tongue when his face popped up in the floo," she says with a soft laugh as she leans back.

"He was very sweet, Harry. Polite but insistent." She doesn't add the request of 'no red-heads', not wanting to ruin the happy mood with mentions of Ron or his family. "As soon as I floo'd Neville and Luna— Well, we couldn't wait to come and see you."

Neville approaches next and taps Harry on the shoulder. He squeaks when Harry snakes an arm out and grabs him by the neck into a hug as well. "Neville!" Harry lets him go but claps him on the back. "Fantastic to see you, mate." He grins and is thrilled to see Neville smile back, his whole posture relaxed and confident. "Happy birthday to you as well!"

"Thanks," Neville says with a blush and an awkward smile. He really should have realized Harry would remember and announce it. He chuckles when he gets flustered greetings from Luna and Hermione as well, used to people forgetting. "Of course I'd come, Harry," he says and pats Harry's forearm. "Like I'd say no?" he says with a grin and sneaks a glance at Leah, making Harry's eyebrows nearly disappear into his hair. Interesting.

"I'm glad you didn't, mate" Harry says sincerely and gives him a pat on the shoulder. Neville nods, gives him a big smile and goes back to sit down next to Leah and Teddy, both playing with Leo and giggling madly when the kitten pounces on a small ball of paper that Teddy found and threw across the sofa.

He takes a moment to blink at a giggling Leah before he makes his way over to Jake. Jake stops talking with his dad and watches him approach, the same small smile still on his face he caught earlier. "Hey," he says quietly as he reaches for Jake's hand.

"Hi. So..." Jake says slowly, trailing off, waiting for a reaction. "Surprised?"

Harry laughs softly and hugs Jake tightly, not noticing Billy wheeling away with a grin, and buries his face in Jake's chest. "Yeah, very," he mumbles into the strong chest he's pressed his face into. He leans back and smiles. "Thank you," he stands taller, leaning his head back more and is relieved when Jake lowers his head when he sees Harry's intention for a kiss.

He pulls back just enough to softly murmur, "I love you." He squashes the urge to laugh at Jake's stunned, but bright, expression. He's pulled into another kiss, laughing delightedly an relaxing in Jake gentle embrace.

"Good. Happy birthday, babe," Jake murmurs into Harry's neck when he pulls away from his lips for a moment. "And I love you too," he whispers. It's still new but it still makes him feel light and heavy at the same time.

He feels Harry's hand in his a moment later and happily follows as Harry leads them across the room. They make their way over to Harry's group of friends and Jake gives them a small wave with his free hand when Harry pulls him closer, an arm wrapping around Jake's waist.

"I'm sure you've met, but this is Jake," Harry says brightly, nodding his head towards Jake. He smiles when Hermione, Luna and Neville all nod, smiling with murmured words of agreement. He sits, pulling Jake with him and doesn't release his hold on Jake's hand.

Jake isn't sure how long they sit there. He tries to keep up with the conversation but he's becoming increasingly distracted by the ring in his pocket. As the minutes tick by it seems to get heavier and heavier, the weight a reminder that he's got something important he needs to do. He sticks his free hand in his pocket, letting his index finger trace the small circle of platinum in his pocket.

He asked Draco to help him pick it and felt relief when the blonde had agreed and easily pointed out every design he thought Harry would like. It didn't take long to find the one now resting in his pocket like a lead weight as he traces a finger along it.

He feels a flush of pride remembering he had been the one to ultimately pick it out and Draco had immediately agreed it was perfect. He looks up when he can feel a stare like a physical weight on him and meets an intense silver-grey gaze. The steely eyes flick down to his pocket and Jake is sure he pales as he shakes his head, nerves suddenly tightening his chest.

How does Draco know he has it and is considering now to take it out? Harry turns to him and he can only give him a smile. He hopes it's not as tight and unconvincing as it feels.

Harry leans in close, his lips nearly caressing Jake's ear. "Are you alright, love?"

Jake nods, his head feeling jerky and he gives another wooden smile. "What? No, yeah, I'm good." He waves a hand at Luna, who's sitting close to Hermione, indicating that Harry should return to his conversation with her. She hasn't even paused in her conversation with Harry, either unaware or uncaring she's lost his focus, her small hands gesturing wildly as she talks about something. Jake's pretty sure it's something strange about trees.

He smiles again, hoping it's brighter, more genuine, but Harry only raises an eyebrow and leans in closer to look at him intently.

"Be right back," Harry says to Luna and the others, getting a nod from the blonde witch and she quickly turns and continues her story to Hermione. He stands and gently pulls Jake up, thankful he moves on his own after only the merest prodding since he really couldn't pull Jake on his own. He leads him to a quiet corner in the kitchen.

He turns to Jake as soon as they're alone. "What's wrong?" he asks and gives Jake another intense look, his green eyes serious. Jake has been quite since they sat down and he's uneasy with the thought Jake doesn't like his friends.

Jake's throat locks up. He had a whole big romantic speech planned out; he was going to get down on one knee, right in front of everyone and after he had given his speech he would show Harry the ring and pray to god that he accepted. What happens instead is he's staring at Harry's now worried face and his hand goes into his pocket, quite of it's own power, and he pulls the ring out.

It's clamped tight in a fist instead of shining in his palm, or glowing romantically in the sparse light of the kitchen, and he's dimly aware his mouth is opening and closing like a choking fish as he continues to stare at Harry.

Harry sees Jake's hand move and his eyes go to his raised fist. "Jake..." He places a hand over the tightly closed fist. He doesn't know what to say. Jake looks horrified, ready to run (probably after he vomits, if the queasy expression is accurate) and he is at a complete loss as to what is going on.

"I did mention how happy I am you've brought my mates, yeah?" he tries, thinking maybe Jake is still concerned he'd be upset. He tried not to tease Jake when he'd had mentioned it earlier; Jake had been worried one of them would upset him or that he didn't want to see them. He rarely saw Jake second guess himself and he worked very hard to reassure him. Harry had assured him that he was thrilled and Jake looked relieved when he had greeted them all so warmly, and Jake had relaxed.

Until Jake talked to his dad, Harry realizes with a small frown. "Is Billy alright?"

"Huh?" Jake twitches in surprise, his fist jerking up to press against his chest, almost protectively, with a hollow thud. "Yeah, why?" he asks, genuinely surprised and confused Harry would ask. His dad is great, even considering moving in with Mrs. Clearwater if everything went well for him.

Harry's frown deepens. "I don't know, I saw you talking to him earlier and now..." he pauses to look at Jake. His dark eyes are wide with panic again and Harry can see his knuckles turning white as he grips his fingers ever tighter together. "You look like you're about to vomit and run away as fast as possible." He'd never be able to catch him if Jake phased.

He steps closer and places a hand over Jake's tightly fisted one. "Please tell me what's wrong, Jake."

"Yeah, okay," Jake sighs, noticing Harry's hair flutter lightly with a small smile. He closes his eyes and slowly lowers his hand and holds it out to Harry. "Open it," he begs quietly.

He doesn't think he's got the nerve to open his fingers, too. He wants to kick himself to making Harry panic. This is all going so wrong, he groans. He almost jerks his hand back and refuses to show Harry the ring until he can do this right.

Harry gives Jake a quizzical expression, his hand laying over Jake's again. He tries to work a finger between Jake's tightly clenched ones and huffs slightly, a small smile on his face. "Are you mental? If you don't loosen them—" He laughs and finally works a finger in the small gap on the side of Jake's fist, wiggling it back and forth.

"Jake, loosen them," he instructs, amusement in his voice.

Jake finds the strength to loosen his fingers a little, positive he hears a creaking sound as he does, and closes his eyes again. Harry has again worked his finger into the larger gap and wiggles his finger again. He feels his fingers curl open the moment before Harry gasps. He opens one eye to see Harry staring with a completely blank face, wide green eyes trained on the ring in Jake's palm before slowly lifting his eyes to meet Jake's own.

He has an insane urge to close Harry's eyes so they don't fall out.

"Uh," he says eloquently, shifting feet awkwardly.

"Jake," Harry whispers, his face breaking into a slow smile, and he steps even closer with one finger outstretched to point at the band laying on Jake's open palm. "Is that for me?" he asks finally, after Jake only continues to stare at him, shocked and pale.

He's having a hard time breathing and he's nearly desperate to have Jake say something. He'd even settle for the fist to cover the ring again and have Jake jerk it back with a 'nevermind' at this point.

Alright, not really, but Merlin, it's killing him to just have him stare in his shocked way.

Jake nods, again apparently loosing the ability to speak again. He thumps himself in the chest, determined to say something. Harry deserves for him to at least ask, not just have to assume from his mute (and thoroughly unromantic) gesture. He clears his throat and manages a quiet, slightly squeaky "Yes." When Harry continues to look at him, eyes bright and (oh god help him, it sounds so cliché but so true) full of love, the reins on his voice finally snaps and he starts to babble.

"Yeah, it is. I had Draco help me pick it, but it turns out I didn't need his help. I picked this one; I thought it was perfect for you. I wanted to ask for awhile and figured your birthday would be a good time. I know it seems sudden, but I— It feels right. _We_ feel right. I wasn't sure if I should ask in front of everyone but my dad said I should but then I got so nervous. I didn't want to do it this way, standing here and just holding your ring like an idiot. I had this whole romantic speech planned and I was going to be all traditional and get on one knee."

Jake pauses for a breath, before continuing even though his throat feels tight now.

"And now, I've fucked it up. I didn't even say anything! Just held my hand out and stood here like a complete idiot. Oh god, I'm sorry Harry. You deserve so much better than this. Than me," he ends quietly, his hand shaking slightly. He hadn't meant to say the last part but it feels so true in his moment of misery.

He shakes his head when Harry goes to open his mouth. "No, don't say it. I feel like a complete asshole but I'm not about to give you up, so." He takes a deep breath and grins when Harry's smile gets wider, making his eyes crinkle in that adorable way that always makes him want to grab Harry and squeeze. He doesn't this time.

He finally lowers himself to one bent knee and he nearly drops the ring as he tries to pinch it between his thumb and index finger. He finally gets a solid hold on it and lifts it up, presenting it to a wide-eyed Harry.

Harry stares down at Jake, speechless. He wanted to grab Jake and kiss him to keep the man from babbling, but the words were sweet in their bumbling and he didn't want Jake to stop. He stands quietly, waiting for Jake to collect his thoughts even though it's taking all his restraint not to grab at Jake or just pluck the ring out of his fingers and yell 'Yes!' before he even manages to get a word out. He smiles when Jake's shaky hand reaches out and takes his.

"Okay, so, you already know I'm going to ask but... fuck Jake, get it together," Jake mutters to himself and shakes his head before he gives Harry a sheepish smile. He frowns dramatically, making his face serious. "Harry, I love you, so. Um, will you marry me?"

Maybe he should have said bond? Oh hell. He's just glad he's only ever going to have to do this once, he'd probably die if he had to do it again.

Harry snorts a laugh, covering his mouth immediately. He's about to apologize when Jake's face breaks into a bright smile. He didn't mean to laugh but Jake looks so serious and he just blurted out his question.

He's nodding vigorously, nearly matching the racing pace of his heart. "Of course I will," he finally manages, peeling his fingers off of his mouth so he can answer. Merlin, the whole thing is so surreal. He expects it all to be some daydream or hallucination until he feels the warm (almost hot, from being clenched in Jake's palm for so long) metal sliding over his left ring finger and then he's being crushed to Jake's chest.

Even if he had the breath, he doesn't complain; it helps ground him, prove everything is really happening.

"Oh thank god," Jake mumbles over and over again, swaying slightly as he continues to crush Harry to his chest. He startles when he feels Harry tapping on his back, hearing a choked laugh from Harry and he realizes he's crushing him. "Oh, shit! I'm sorry! I'm just so excited," he grins down at Harry, releasing his crushing grip a little and kissing him harder than he intended.

Harry doesn't complain, just moans softly and presses closer somehow, his hands sliding up Jake's back to fist in his hair. All awkwardness aside, it's a perfect moment. He must have mumbled this thought aloud because Jake laughs, sounding slightly hysterical.

"Nowhere near perfect," Jake says, laughter tapering off. "But at least we can laugh about it later, right?"

Harry grins, nodding. "You bet your arse we will." He cups Jake's cheek and kisses him again. "But only between us. I've no interest in spreading this around. As far as anyone else knows, you were very suave. The whole romantic sappy speech, on bended knee," he says, running an hand absently up and down Jake's chest.

"Gee, thanks," Jake says dryly, but chuckles nonetheless.

His breath catches when Harry slams his body against his and rubs his erection against him, insistent and hard to deny. He's not exactly surprised that Harry is turned on, but it's really not the time or place to do anything about it. He darts a look to the kitchen doorway and he groans softly, his eyes closing. Harry is wiggling and pawing at him again.

"Stop that," he whispers, "I don't have the strength to say no right now."

Harry presses in closer, shifting his hips wickedly. "So?"

"Your friends..." Jake breathes, his hands already cupping Harry's ass belying his earlier denial. They hadn't opened his presents or even cut into the massive cake Seth brought. He finds it hard to care when Harry's lips are sliding across his skin, taking advantage of all of his pleasure points. He tries to keep the soft moans in but he can't quite manage. He hears Harry chuckle smugly.

Harry's lips trace across Jake's throat and collarbone, his tongue darting out occasionally, sending Jake's pulse racing. He's near bursting with so many good feelings, he has to do _something_ about it or he'll explode. "They're going to be here for awhile, yeah?"

Jake can only nod. He didn't really know how long they intended to stay, but he doesn't care at the moment if Harry doesn't. He doesn't care if it feels selfish, drawing Harry away from his party and friends. Harry is being very handsy at the moment and he's still flushed and feeling high from him saying yes earlier. His whole body flushes with the realization; they're engaged. Holy fuck, it feels and sounds amazing and wonderful.

"Okay then," Harry mutters against Jake's neck. "Hold on," he whispers. He's lost his patience for stairs and just as he apparates them upstairs, he almost loses focus when Jake's hands dip into his jeans to knead and massage his arse. They land awkwardly next to the bed, limbs twisted but lips still attached for a moment before Jake pulls away, wide eyed.

"What the hell just happened?" Jake says, looking around the room rapidly. How the fuck did they get upstairs? His stomach feels a bit unsettled and his head is spinning dizzily as he takes in Harry's sheepish expression.

"I apparated us," Harry says. He scowls slightly and taps Jake playfully on the nose with a finger, "I could have splinched us!" At Jake's utterly confused look he laughs and rests his forehead on his chest. "But I didn't, so don't worry about it." His lips drag across the thin fabric of Jake's t-shirt and his hands slide over the already hardening nipples. They've both arrived with all their bits and pieces and he wants to touch every inch of Jake's warm, soft skin.

Jake is still looking dazed. "No, seriously. What just happened? Did you like, teleport us or something?"

Harry nods and presses close to Jake, bumping him backwards slightly. "Sort of. I forgot I hadn't showed you that yet. I can go pretty much anywhere I'd like." He grins. He doesn't add he didn't even need his wand since it was a short trip knowing Jake wouldn't really understand or care. He gasps a soft "Fuck" when Jake's hands dip in the back of his pants again, his fingers brushing along the crack of his arse with fluttering fingertips.

Jake chuckles. "You really have a filthy mouth when you're turned on," he comments and slides his fingers around to cup the soft flesh under his palms, earning him another breathless "Fuck" from Harry. He squeezes and Harry's answering moan goes straight to his cock.

"Mhm." Harry's slightly glazed eyes look up to Jake's. "Is that a problem?" He smirks, knowing it isn't. "I also get rather foul mouthed when pissed."

Jake snorts a laugh, "Who doesn't? It's almost like a law when you're mad." Except for maybe Mrs. Clearwater, he doesn't think he's ever heard anyone not utter a curse or two when they're mad. Leah took it to a whole new level, mixing curse words together until they were more funny than angry.

Harry doesn't care to correct him at the moment, his lips now busy mouthing Jake's nipple through his t-shirt. He gropes at the hem, pulling and tugging to get the garment off. Jake helps after a moment and he sighs happily when he can finally touch skin, smoothing his palms over Jake's stomach and chest, licking his lips as he watches the muscles contract and flex.

Jake moans softly at the touch, gasping when Harry's teeth gently clamp over the pebbled flesh as his hands slide across his back and dip down to his ass. His head spins and he nearly forgets what he wanted to ask when Harry's hand snakes down his shorts, his fingers stroking along his rapidly hardening cock.

"Wait," he pants out and grabs Harry's wrist. "Uh, could we try something different?"

Harry's brows furrow together and he looks around the room a moment, wondering where he had in mind that would be different. They didn't go too crazy with positions, so maybe Jake wants to try a different one. "Sure. I guess maybe if you want to try that one where we have to stand and hold our—"

"No, I mean—" Jake can feel his cheeks heat and he wants to cover his face. There isn't an inch on his body Harry hasn't touched in some way numerous times so he has no idea why he is blushing. He clears his throat and looks at Harry. "No, I mean I want to try, uh, being on the bottom," he finally manages, trying his hardest not to fidget as Harry stares at him.

Harry's confusion only lasts a moment before he smiles and shakes his head slightly. He's a little surprised but not at all against the idea. He runs his fingers down Jake's sides. "Sure. I haven't really done that many times though," he tries to warn.

"What's 'not many'?" Jake asks feeling brave.

"Maybe three or four," Harry admits. He looks Jake over and he can practically feel his pupils dilate with lust. "It's not that I don't want to or I won't be able to, but I just don't want your first time to be... not a good experience," he says softly and cups Jake's cheek. He really won't blame Jake if he changes his mind.

Jake shakes his head, feeling his skin heat and tingle from Harry's touch and intense gaze. "I trust you." And he does. "I know it won't be pleasant at first, but I still want to try it."

Harry snorts and urges Jake backwards onto the bed. "Unpleasant could be an understatement, but I'll do my best to make it mind-blowing." He lands heavily on top of Jake as they tumble onto the bed, pressing a kiss to Jake's lips and jawline. "If you change your mind and want me to stop, at any time, just say so. I won't be upset or disappointed, alright?"

Jake nods, his throat feeling tight with anticipation and a little panic. He's not sure he'd actually stop once they started but he knows Harry won't even start unless he said he would.

Harry quickly pops the button on Jake's shorts and groans when he sees he's not bothered with underwear. "Oh fuck, you cheeky thing," he chides playfully and kisses along one tanned thigh as he tosses the shorts onto the floor before looking up at Jake. "Have you ever played around with your arse before, love?" he asks, running his hands up and down Jake's thighs in a calming touch. Jake's cheeks pink up again as he nods. "Alright, with what?"

"Oh god," Jake moans embarrassed. He doesn't cover his face with his hands but it's a near thing. Harry's hands slide along his thighs again, soft comforting touches that calm Jake almost immediately.

"I'm not asking to embarrass you, love," Harry says softly, placing a gentle kiss on Jake's inner thigh. "I just wanted to know how uncomfortable it would be, that's all. Don't worry about it, I'll just—" His gaze darts down and he has to bite his lip as he stares at Jake's parted thighs and the dark ring of muscle twitching slightly. He didn't realize how much he wanted to bury himself in there until Jake asked. He dosen't think it'll be a regular thing, but if Jake likes it enough, he has no problem switching occasionally when they both felt like it. "I'll just go slow, yeah?" he says softly, running his hands along Jake's thighs.

"Okay," Jake whispers and squirms slightly under Harry's intense gaze, somehow feeling more naked. "Only fingers," he finally says. "Uh, but just two. And I only tried once."

He tells himself not be be embarrassed; he's seen Harry with his own fingers in his ass enough times to know Harry won't find it gross or deviant. It had felt really weird for a bit but he'd been interrupted before he found his prostate. When he first saw Harry's reaction to the stimulation of that spot of nerves, he found himself wishing he'd played around longer.

Harry just nods and leans over Jake, kissing him slowly as he comes up level to his lips, and reaches the bedside table to open the drawer for the lube they keep handy. He can conjure some, but Jake seems to prefer this stuff more. He doesn't care, lube is lube. He slides back down Jake's body, leaving a trail of small kisses as he goes. He circles Jake's navel with his tongue and continues on, going completely around the erection bobbing towards him with each deep breath Jake takes.

Jake's eyes are tightly closed, waiting for the first touch. He's waiting for a slick finger to enter him. A moment later he lets out a squeaky moan of surprise when he feels something wet, warm and firm glide across him instead. He looks down but he can only see his own cock twitching and swaying in front of Harry's messy head of dark hair.

He gasps a loud moan when he realizes he's feeling Harry's tongue. _There_. He wants to tell Harry to stop, but it feels so fucking good he just lets his head flop back down to the pillow and he moans loudly. His legs flop open as he feels Harry's tongue narrow to a point and wiggle, flick and slide. "Oh fuck." One hand rests on Harry's head and his fingers flex into the dark strands.

Harry smirks at Jake's reaction, debating whether or not he should point out Jake's potty mouth. He drags his tongue up in a long swipe, up his heavy balls, nibbling them gently with his lips and smiling at Jake's wanton moans.

He quietly opens the bottle of lube and generously coats two fingers, rubbing the slick liquid to warm it. He slowly slides one slick finger in, groaning as he feels Jake's tight heat engulf him greedily. Jake doesn't even seem to notice the new intrusion, thoroughly distracted by his tongue, but his hips jerk towards him and Jake moans when he eases in the second finger. His mouth goes back to Jake's cock for a moment before he looks up and murmurs a quiet "Alright love?"

Jake nods, already getting used to the strange feeling of Harry's fingers in his ass. It doesn't hurt all that much, but it did burn slightly—in a good way. "Yeah, feels good," he breathes out and nearly gasps when he feels Harry add another finger. He feels the stretch and there's a whisper of pain but it recedes almost as soon as he felt it. "Oh fuck," he says again.

He looks down and has to smile at Harry's concerned face. "Still feels good, babe." He shifts his hips slightly, causing Harry's finger to slide in deeper. He can feel them wriggling inside and it's so weird but amazing at the same time. He's about to ask for another one, knowing he'll need a little more if he's going to get Harry's cock inside him, when Harry's fingers graze along his prostate. He can't control the way his body arches, one hand fisting in the sheets below as the other clutches onto Harry, or the scream-like moan that comes of his mouth.

"Found it," Harry says and smiles triumphantly up at Jake, his fingers brushing along Jake's sweet spot gently again. He watches Jake's face intently, enjoying the look of pure pleasure etched on it. Jake's eyes open finally and he grins at the surprised wonderment in them. "Feels good, yeah?"

Jake nods with a loud groan. "Fuck yeah. So good. Amazing," he says, his chest heaving as he pants. "One more..." he tries to command like he's heard Harry do but it comes out more like a question. He hears a quiet squishy sound as Harry adds more lube to his fingers. He has to bite his lip when he feels another finger slide in. Now it's uncomfortable, verging on painful. Oh shit, is this what he does to Harry every time they make love? He voices his concern aloud, his voice soft with apology.

"No, love," Harry murmurs, wiggling his fingers slightly and kissing along one trembling thigh up to a sharp hipbone. "Is it too much? Should I stop?"

Jake shakes his head and shifts his hips again. "No, no... it's starting to feel good again." His eyes roll back and he can see small fireworks behind his lids when Harry's fingers press against his prostate again. "Oh fuck, _so_ good again." Harry's fingers are sliding in and out, building up the pleasure until he feels like he's moments away from coming.

He's breathing heavily again, his body twitching and wanting more. He's ready to beg, he needs Harry inside him.

"Oh god, Harry, can you—?"

Harry shifts onto his knees and slicks himself, pulling his fingers free. Jake whimpers and he hurriedly eases his cock into Jake, going slow enough he hopes Jake can adjust. Jake's legs twitch up, one calf resting on his hip. "Oh fuck," he moans as he easily slides inside. "You're like a furnace," he breathes and shifts awkwardly, resting a hand by Jake's head since the other was grabbed by Jake, their fingers tightly entwined together.

He bottoms out, resting flush against Jake's ass and he has to take a deep breath. Jake's eyes are tightly closed, his face lightly covered in sweat. "Alright, love?" he asks again, lowering himself down so he can cup Jake's jaw, his fingers gently caressing the soft skin along his neck. He presses his lips gently against Jake's.

"Yeah, just— Wait," Jake says, his voice quiet and his eyes still closed. The strange feeling of fullness and a slight twinge of pain is disorienting. He is already starting to feel himself relax, the incredible feeling of Harry inside him is overriding any pain he thought he'd be feeling. He wiggles his hips experimentally and gasps when Harry's cock presses against that amazing spot inside him. "Oh fuck, yeah," he pants. "You can move, but slow, okay?"

Harry doesn't even nod, he just starts a slow rhythm, quickening his pace when Jake's whispers turn into moans. Jake's legs wrap around him a moment later and he practically howls with delighted pleasure as the angle changes and Harry is able to repeatedly brush against his prostate.

He wants a hand free but he doesn't want to remove one from Jake's strong hands or his rapidly arching hip. He's trying to think clearly but he's lost to the amazing sensations of being inside Jake, of the dawning realization that he's experiencing something wonderful with his Jake. His fiancé. He moans aloud with the thought and feels his orgasm building, a pleasant tightness in his belly, and he nearly groans with frustration; he doesn't want this to end yet.

Jake's head is wobbling from side to side and he knows he's moaning loudly and calling out Harry's name but he can't find it in himself to care. "Harry," he pants, his eyes slowly opening. He can already feel his orgasm coming and he watches as his cock bounces with their movements, untouched by either of them.

He can't get his hands out of Harry's or off his rapidly moving ass, needing the contact. Harry lowers himself so their bodies trap his neglected cock and it's enough to tip him over the edge with a shout. He arches and sees bright flickering stars cross his vision as he comes. "Oh fuck," he moans, his body twitching and shuddering with pleasure.

He dimly hears Harry grunt the same thing and the completely foreign, and somehow amazing, feeling of Harry coming inside him makes him moan and wrap his arms tightly around Harry's body. He holds Harry to him, not wanting to let him go. Ever. He's breathing heavily still, uncaring of the sticky mess smooshed between their slick, warm bodies.

"Wow," he breathes.

Harry chuckles softly, his breath puffing across Jake's neck making the flesh break into fresh goose bumps. "Yeah, wow." He strokes his free hand along Jake's side, his other still tightly entwined with Jake's by his head. "So?" he asks, looking at Jake intently. Obviously, he enjoyed it in some capacity but he's curious what Jake thinks about the new experience.

Jake lays there a moment, just focusing on evening out his breathing. "Wow," he says again, feeling utterly sated, boneless and wiped out in a completely different way.

Harry snickers and gently bites Jake's collarbone. "So you said."

"Mean it," Jake manages. He strokes a finger along the gentle ridges of Harry's spine, lost in thought a moment. "Wow. Would it be okay if we did that again?" he asks quietly.

He's not exactly surprised at how much he enjoyed the change, he had been intrigued and insanely curious the first time he saw Harry's reaction, but he's so glad he tried it. Any pain is already fading as his body quickly heals. Well, that's a big perk. All he can feel is a very pleasant, languid heavy feeling as his body twitches occasionally and feeling comes back in his toes and fingers.

Harry snorts and leans up on an elbow to give Jake a leering grin. "Sure."

"But I still like the other way," Jake says, grinning back before his eyebrows draw together. "Mostly. So. Probably not often?"

Harry snorts again. "Me too, love," he says, running his nose along Jake's. "Might work out for the best when I get randy and act like a cat in heat." He smiles at Jake and chuckles when Jake's head nods rapidly. He lays back down with a sigh, snuggling in and enjoying Jake's warmth. He mutters a gentle cleaning charm, wiggling slightly as he feels it sweep over their bellies. He grins when Jake's body shivers pleasantly.

Jake lies there, still feeling dazed and euphoric. He's running his fingers slowly up Harry's arm, watching as the skin erupts in goosebumps and Harry twitches with a soft giggle. A stray thought occurs to him and he blurts out, "We've never had a fight."

Harry's head shakes against his chest and when he speaks, his voice is slightly muffled. "No, we haven't." He leans up on an elbow and gives Jake a smirk. "Did you want to?" he asks, clearly amused.

Jake laughs and pushes Harry's head back down onto his chest, sighing softly when he feels Harry's arms squeeze him tightly for a moment. "No, that's not what I meant." He taps his chin with a finger, pretending to think, not that Harry can see it. "But, I have heard make-up sex is great."

"Prat." Harry slaps a hand on Jake's stomach, not all that gently, making Jake twitch. "I have no interest in fighting for great sex." His finger circles a trail through the dark hair on Jake's belly, sliding lower to graze across his cock, making it twitch slightly. "We have great sex _without_ fighting."

Jake nods and grins. "True enough," he concedes breathlessly. "But isn't that weird? I mean, don't couples fight?"

Harry can only shrug. He doesn't have a clue. "I have very limited experience with other couples."

He only knows a few couples closely. Well, close enough to compare. Ron and Hermione. They fought (well, maybe 'bickering' is more accurate) all the time. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley never fought that he ever saw; Molly said what's what and Arthur happily went along. Draco's parents were another couple. They never fought that was aware of but that was probably because they rarely spoke to each other that Harry saw. They had a way of speaking to each other without words, a glance or a touch spoke volumes between the two. He had once sat down to tea with the Malfoys and noticed that for almost a half hour they hadn't spoken to each other once but carried on some quiet conversation while talking to him and Draco. It spoke of familiarity and comfort that Harry found himself slightly jealous of.

"Well, it doesn't matter." Jake squeezes Harry tight, kisses the top of his head and yawns. "I was just wondering. I like not fighting with you," he grins, burying his nose in Harry's wild mess of hair and breathing deeply for a moment. "I have a feeling you'd be able to kick my ass."

Harry snorts a laugh, "No way, love." Even if he _could_ , he wouldn't ever lift a hand against Jake. He can't even think of a situation where he'd even consider it. He kisses the chest under his cheek and nuzzles closer. "I like your arse way too much to damage it," he says in a serious tone.

"Speaking of which," Jake clears his throat. "I think we've been missing long enough." He glances at the clock and nearly jumps out of bed when he notices they've been gone an hour. "Oh, shit."

Harry pats his chest, his finger splaying out through the fine hairs a with a soft hum of pleasure. "Don't worry. Hermione will have noticed me missing and then when she finds you missing as well, she'll have figured we've disappeared together and stopped worrying." He yawns. "However, I don't think we'll have more than another ten minutes, so..." he trails off and thinks. "Let's just lay here and rest."

He's torn between just curling up and going to sleep and going back downstairs to spend time with his friends. It seems a bit rude to have wandered off, once he's thinking clearly.

"Yeah, okay." Jake nods and runs a hand through Harry's hair. "But I'm not sure I want to deal with a pissed off Hermione." He gulps when he remembers Draco telling him how adept Hermione is with a wand. He doesn't cover his groin protectively but it's a near thing. Luckily, Harry is covering him. He's not sure whether to laugh or snarl protectively at the idea of her being presented with Harry's bare ass if she came charging in to hex or drag them back downstairs.

Harry grins and laughs softly. "No, you don't," he agrees. "It'll be fine," he says as he leans up and kisses Jake, taking his time and gently nipping at his lips before he pulls back. "Relax, we'll head back down in a moment. You look thoroughly shagged, so it can wait," he adds, sounding rather proud of himself.

Jake huffs but relaxes back into the mattress, arms wound tightly around Harry again. He sighs contentedly. After a few moments, he glances at the clock occasionally and waits to be interrupted.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry is nearly drifting off to sleep, gaze occasionally straying to the bright band of metal on his finger, blissfully warm and cozy still lying atop Jake when they hear a rapid but soft knocking on the door.

Jake groans softly and leans up slightly to whisper in Harry's ear. "Maybe if we don't answer, they'll go away." He's staring at the door, willing the intruder to go fuck off. He doesn't care if it's selfish; he isn't ready to share Harry yet. Jake wraps his arms tighter around Harry, grinning slightly when he makes a breathless and dramatically over-exaggerated squeak.

A soft giggle is heard from the other side of the door, quickly followed by Luna's happy voice. "Not likely, Jacob." She knocks once more, but doesn't try to open the door.

Harry chuckles softly at what he's sure to be a slack jawed look on Jake's face, not sure he could explain how Luna _knows_ things even if he tried. Apparently, she's also equipped with super hearing as well.

"I managed to keep Hermione from stomping up here but I don't think you'll have more than ten minutes before she comes up anyway," Luna says brightly.

Harry can just tell that she's covering her mouth, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth and _knowing_.

"Get dressed and come back down to the party!" She's tempted to offer her eager congratulations but wisely decides to wait until they actually announce the good news since there's a door between them. It's much more fun to _see_ the shocked looks on people's faces when she says things like that.

Oh, it's going to be torture not to tell Hermione!

Jake can just barely make out the sound of Luna skipping down the hall and then bouncing down the steps. Seriously, she is hopping and jumping down them like he's seen Teddy do whenever his dad isn't looking. He grins. Luna, while strange and gifted with horrible timing, is one cool chick. He makes a mental note to make sure he remembers to spend some more time with her before she leaves; she's bound to have a very interesting perspective on his Harry.

Harry rolls his eyes, blushing slightly and clears his throat, "Sure thing, Luna. Be down in a moment." He groans softly, burying his face in Jake's neck. "Bugger," he mutters.

Jake chuckles, smoothing a hand down Harry's bare back. "She's gone, babe." He sits up with Harry still attached to him. He hears Harry chuckle as he wraps his legs tightly around his waist. "C'mon. It's shower time."

Harry nuzzles into Jake's chest as they walk towards the bathroom. "Fine fine." His hands slide down to Jake's arse, squeezing lightly. "And I promise to be good otherwise we won't leave for another hour." He laughs at Jake's quiet groan but it ends in an indignant howl as his bare arse lands on the cool counter when Jake plops him down. "Oi!" He shifts to lift his cheeks off the cool marble and tucks his hands under him as he sends a half-hearted glare towards Jake.

Jake grins as he turns away and turns the water on. He wiggles his hips and ass when he can feel Harry's gaze on him and grins again over his shoulder. "C'mon, we're down to like eight minutes and I don't think Hermione will think twice about barging in here and dragging us down there bare assed and dripping wet," he says and absently sticks a hand under the spray, adjusting the water until it's steaming. He'll probably boil a little but Harry loves his water hot.

Harry just nods and grunts softly but doesn't make any moves to follow him, not taking his eyes off Jake's bare arse. Merlin, but it's perfect. His hands twitch slightly with longing to just grab, uncaring he'd just had the softly muscled flesh in his hands moments ago.

He ogles Jake; green eyes flick up slightly and he absently runs his tongue along his bottom lip as he looks at the slight dimples over the round arse. He's not sure why but he's fascinated by the sexy little indents, dipping his thumbs in them or running his tongue along them. He's nearly zoned out as he takes in the broad shoulders, defined with smooth, sleek muscle. His gaze wanders down to Jake's legs, watching as they flex and shift as Jake leans and bends to adjust the water in the shower, the trim calves nearly bouncing as Jake shifts and hops into the bath.

"You coming?"

Harry's thoughts jerk to a halt and he jumps, giving Jake a sheepish grin before carefully sliding off the counter. He struts playfully towards the shower, holding back a smirk as Jake watches with a soft laugh, shutting the door behind him and pressing himself along Jake's front.

He looks up with a playful smirk. "Shall I be cheeky and say 'yes, please' or just be a good lad?"

Jake snorts, his hands already working shampoo in his hair furiously. He carefully opens one eye, narrowly avoiding the stinging suds dripping down his face. "Just be good. Seriously," his eyes dart to the door, "I don't need that chick coming in here and getting you."

Or seeing Harry naked, he adds silently. He's pretty sure Hermione didn't think of Harry like that but she is now single and he doesn't like taking risks. He doesn't doubt Harry at all but it would be a shame to have to get all Alpha Wolf Jake on Harry's best friend if he can avoid it. His eyes narrow in thought, now that he's thinking about it, he got the feeling that her eyes are straying to Luna.

But still...

Harry laughs and stretches, running his fingers through Jake's sudsy hair, massaging lightly. "Relax," he murmurs and leans up to kiss Jake softly. "I highly doubt she's going to storm in here if she thinks we're indecent. She doesn't want to see either of our bits." He nearly covers Jake's bits with a possessive hand at the thought.

Jake just rolls his eyes and ducks his head under the spray to rinse his hair. "Better not," he mumbles and gets to work on showering, trying hard to avoid Harry's slippery, wandering hands.

~oOo~

Hermione's trying to keep track of many things at once:

Harry's (and Jake's) whereabouts.

Luna's conversation about her surprising adoration with America.

And the wandering eyes of Seth. She moves subtly each time Seth's eyes wander over Luna's face and body, placing herself closer or touching some part of Luna hoping Seth will get the picture and bugger off. So far he hasn't and Hermione is unwilling to actually be rude to the likeable young werewolf. Finally, she just grabs Luna's hand and wraps it in both of hers and settles them on her lap. Seth's eyes track the movement and they widen comically.

"Oh, shit!" Seth says quietly, only at the last minute remembering not to shout in his surprise. He looks between Hermione and Luna, his mouth hanging open. Woah. Lesbians! He does a mental happy dance, no longer caring he can't flirt with Luna anymore. Luna is pretty (and blonde!), but he doesn't want to anger Hermione with any more flirting.

"I didn't know," he murmurs sincerely, leaning in closer. Luna is basically ignoring him, beaming a brilliant smile at Hermione. "I'm sorry if I was, you know, being an asshole."

Hermione laughs, surprised at his bluntness. "It's alright, Seth. It's not like you knew." She gives Luna a quick smile back, rubbing her hand affectionately.

Seth shakes his head and grins. "Nope. I don't think anyone did," he says with wiggling eyebrows. He barely holds in a laugh when Hermione blushes and whips her head around to make sure their conversation is still private. He's not sure if he should offer to keep it a secret or not.

He doesn't want to push but he doesn't like keeping things from his pack, especially Leah. She'll kick his ass— _literally_ , he thinks with a mental wince—if she finds out he didn't let her in on something juicy.

"No, I haven't had the chance to talk to Harry yet." Hermione clears her throat and glances at Luna from the corner of her eye. Her earlier annoyance with her best friend resurfaces; she's barely been able to say a few words to Harry since he got here and then the git went and disappears with Jake. She can really only excuse it because Jake looked really anxious right before they had wandered off.

"It's not exactly a secret, but there's a lot more to it than just Luna and me."

Seth cocks his head slightly, unsure what she means. "Like what?" He nearly says 'never mind' when Hermione looks uncomfortable and shifts awkwardly in her seat, her gaze lowering to the floor for a minute.

Luna speaks up instead, her voice quiet but serious. "Hermione hasn't told Harry about her and Ron yet," she says and looks to Hermione, her eyes slightly sad. "He won't be upset, you know. He's had his own issues with Ron." She smiles when Hermione nods and mutters 'true'. "I know Harry; he'll only be concerned that you're happy."

She wants to ask if Hermione is happy but she already knows the answer. She smirks slightly; how could Hermione not be happy with her true love?

Hermione blinks at the smirk on Luna's face, a bit surprised by the reaction her body has to seeing it. She shouldn't like it but she does. She can really only nod, lifting Luna's hand to her lips and briefly placing a kiss on her knuckles. "True," she says again.

She doesn't get a chance to further explain when she sees Jake enter the room, Harry only a step behind him. She's about to say something else when her sharp eyes pick up a glint on Harry's hand. His _left_ hand.

She can't help herself, she shrieks out "Harry!" and smiles when he hunches his shoulders and plasters himself to Jake. She huffs, like Jake can protect him from her. "Harry James Potter!" she says loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to make the whole room aware of it.

Jake's eyebrows rise, his eyes are alight with humor as he looks behind him to see Harry cowering slightly. A glance back and Hermione and he really can't blame him. She looks quite scary.

"Hi, 'Mione," Harry says when he's dragged over. Judging by the tight grip he's got on Harry's hand, Jake nearly had to pick the wizard up and carry him. "How's it going?"

Hermione raises an eyebrow at Harry incredulously. Is he really going to try to squirm out of this? "Oh, you know, not much has changed for _me_ in the past hour or so since we talked." She says her eyes pointedly staring at the ring on Harry's left ring finger.

She's up and grabbing him in a fierce hug a moment later. "I broke up with Ron and I'm in love with Luna," she blurts out, still hugging Harry tightly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but it I just didn't seem to get a moment to talk to you! I'm sorry," she says again with a small sniffle.

"Er, 'Mione?" Harry twitches, trying to loosen Hermione's hold on him and he's a bit embarrassed to find he can't budge the clingy witch. He settles for stroking a soothing hand through her hair. "Its fine, 'Mione. I'm glad," he says quietly, trying not to get her hair in his mouth. Gradually Hermione loosens her hold on him and he's able to lean back enough to look at her. "Really. I'm sorry it didn't work with Ron but I can't say I'm surprised." He really doesn't have to add that Ron is a massive prat; Hermione is well aware of it.

Hermione laughs quietly and wipes her eyes with a sheepish smile. "Well, I've always said you were smarter than you look." She grins when he yells out an indignant 'Oi!' and refocuses on what she meant to say before her impromptu confession. "Congratulations." She hugs him again, not so tightly this time and reaches a hand out to take one of Jake's, squeezing it briefly. "I'm a little disappointed we didn't get to see the whole engagement process, though."

Jake's cheeks warm and he shuffles his feet. "I was going to," he says, pointedly ignoring the knowing grin on Hermione's face. Luna is smiling at him but he gets the impression it's meant to sooth and comfort him so he focuses on her instead for a moment. "I got nervous and Harry pulled me away and made me ask him all alone."

Which, seeing how it went down, he's grateful for. He can't imagine making that big a mess of it in front of everyone. Even his dad would tease unmercifully. Forever.

Harry laughs and wraps an arm around Jake's waist, looking up adoringly at Jake as he rests a hand on Jake's chest. "Well, yeah. He looked ready to pass out, I wanted to make sure he was alright. I didn't know he had a ring in his pocket." He proudly holds up his hand, showing the gorgeous ring off to Hermione, Luna and a stunned Seth. "I practically had to put it on myself," he murmurs quietly. He grins when Luna giggles softly.

"Harry!" Jake hisses, mortified. He works to ignore the innocent wide green eyes looking up at him. "You little bastard, you said we weren't going to tell the embarrassing details."

Harry chuckles and squeezes Jake slightly. "I can't _not_ tell 'Mione, she's my best friend." Jake's eyes dart to Seth and he nearly snarls. Harry snorts a laugh and rolls his eyes. "Seth is still too busy ogling my ring; I guarantee he didn't even hear what I said." He turns and looks at Seth. "Right?"

"Huh?" Seth's eyes flick up to Harry's face. "Sorry, I sorta spaced out there for a minute..." He blinks and focuses on Jake and Harry, a large grin growing on his face. "Congrats, man!" he says happily, slapping them both on the shoulder.

Harry laughs and waves a hand at him as he gives Jake a pointed look. "Nothing, no problem. Thanks, Seth." He grins as he looks around at the small group. "So. How about cake and presents?"

Luna is the first to react. She claps her hands together excitedly. "Yes!" She pulls a small box from a pocket and shoves it towards Harry, forcing him to hold it. "Here! Open mine first!"

Harry just shakes his head with a smile and waits on the sofa while Jake lets everyone know what's going on. It doesn't take long for the call of 'Cake and presents!' to have everyone gathering round.

Seth hops up and makes a fast escape, eagerly heading towards the cake. He fishes in his pocket for the candles, not at all feeling it juvenile to put shaped candles on a cake for a 21 year old. He lights them and carries the flaming cake back into the main room, singing the birthday song at the top of his lungs. Everyone else joins in after a laugh.

Once Harry has blown out the candles, an embarrassed blush burning his face the whole time, Seth makes a point to get everyone's attention again. "I think Harry here has something he needs to say," he says loudly, waving his arms around.

Jake's eyes widen as Harry holds up his left hand, his blush deepening even though he's smiling, and the lights of the room glint off of the ring. "Oh hell," he mutters when the room erupts into a joyous cacophony of sound. He's aware of many hands patting and slapping his back and shoulders in congratulations, Joe and Draco being the most obvious.

He grabs Harry, freeing him almost roughly from a group embrace, feeling panicky for a moment and needing the contact. "Thank you," he finally says to the room in general once it gets quieter. "I know it might seem sudden," he looks around and is surprised no one is agreeing, only seeing happy expectant faces.

He clears his throat and changes what he was going to say since he no longer has to justify his actions now. "We'll be sure to let everyone know when we've set a date," he says with a grin when he sees his dad roll back in the room with a shocked, but happy, look on his face. His beer falls from his loose fingers and lands in his lap, making Billy jump slightly as the cold bottle lands on his lap.

A few minutes later, Jake is comfortably settled on the couch again with Harry pressed closely to his side. A plate of nearly forgotten cake balanced on his knee, the arm not wrapped around Harry is draped on the sofa cushions behind Harry's head and his fingers occasionally brush along the back of Harry's neck or run through the dark silken mass of hair. He nearly snorted a large bite of cake earlier when Harry opened Luna's present, her light blue eyes twinkling with merriment, and probably a healthy dose of that _knowing_ shit she does, when she explained the meaning behind the gift.

He had to bite his cheek, hard, when Harry's cheeks pinked as he stuttered a soft "Thank you" and placed the wooden bracelet on the farthest surface he could without getting up (or throwing it) and hurried to the next gift.

Jake leans forward and plucks it off the table, holding it between his index finger and thumb, examining the intricately carved and twisted wood.

He's pretty sure Luna called the slightly lighter wood Honduran Mahogany but he mostly focused on what she called its 'properties' of fertility. He grins, side-eyeing Harry as he smooths a thumb over the wood, the pad of his thumb tracing over a carved symbol. A rune. He didn't think Harry would need any help from the bracelet. The other wood, Lignum something or other, made him smile up at Luna briefly.

Apparently it was supposed to help with new beginnings or something, supposedly being a very strong form of natural magic. It's a thoughtful gift; he could tell Harry is pleased with it, even under his blush, and will probably always wear it once he has the nerve to actually slide it on.

He runs his index finger over it again, feeling awed that Luna had made such a beautiful object. He can feel a very slight tingle of magic—

Jake's thoughts stutter to a halt and his hand nearly crushes the wooden bracelet in his shocked surprise as he feels a voice whisper through his mind. He frowns slightly, cocking his head a little and tries to focus on the sensation again.

He casts a look around the room but no one else seems to have felt or heard it. His frown deepens. What the fuck was that?

He's about to ask Harry if he felt anything off when he feels it again. Stronger and slightly louder this time. He grits his teeth when he recognizes it finally and carefully grabs Harry's hand, slipping the bracelet over his fingers and onto his wrist before he can protest. He fists his now safely empty hands and softly mutters "Sam".

The reaction of every werewolf in the room, even Remus, is immediate. Remus and Seth merely look at him with curiosity tinged with worry. Joe gives him a baleful glare, which Jake knows isn't directed at him but at the mention of Sam. Leah, not surprisingly, has her upper lip lifted in a silent snarl and a growling, puffed up Leo on her lap. Jake's pretty sure the little cat is growling about Sam too, which is so fucking odd he decides to ignore it for now.

Jake runs a hand down Harry's arm, getting his attention, as he leans in close. Harry's holding a small broom in his hands, idly toying with the yellowish bristles. He quietly murmurs in Harry's ear once he cocks his head towards Jake. "Please stay here, I've gotta check on something outside." Harry's eyes widen slightly as he turns his head and Jake can easily see that he wants to ask questions or go with him but he just bites his lip and nods.

"Thanks," he whispers and leans in to place a soft, quick kiss on Harry's lips. "And before you say it, I'll holler if I need you." He gives Harry a lopsided grin and squeezes his hand gently, his thumb briefly caressing the band on his finger, before he stands and jerks his head towards the front door at his now alert pack members. He notices Draco narrowing his eyes at Joe's retreating form and snickers.

Draco joins Harry on the couch, their heads together as they murmur quietly to each other, gazes locked on their respective werewolves as they leave the room.

Jake nearly goes back when he sees both sets of eyes filled with a strange combination of fury and concern. Nigel is also watching the group leave; the only ones not yet aware of a problem are Neville and Teddy, both enjoying their cake and chatting happily about all the movies Teddy likes. Hermione and Luna are just watching quietly as they leave, their hands entwined tightly. Jake feels a moment of relief that his dad isn't there at the moment, picking the perfect time to wander the house in search of a bathroom.

As soon as they all meet up in the hallway, Jake turns around and nearly jumps when he notices Remus there, too. He shifts awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck, unsure what he's supposed to do. Remus isn't a member of his pack but he knows the older man cares for Harry, even calling him his 'cub' on occasion.

He blinks when he sees a smirk on the older man's pleasant face. "Uh," he starts. Well, fuck it. The worst he can do at the moment is tell Harry on him. "Remus... uh... what's up?"

Remus' smirk falls into a soft smile. "I realize it's not my place to be here, but I'd hoped you wouldn't mind. If this is a threat to your pack or Harry, I'd like to help, if I can."

Mellow amber eyes flash dangerous yellow so quickly Jake nearly misses it and he finds himself making a decision. Something wild lurks under the older man's easygoing facade and he's not entirely sure it's strictly due to the man being a werewolf. He nods.

"Of course, but if shit does get nasty, you gotta back off," Jake says after a moment's thought. He nearly cringes as he says it; he sure as hell wouldn't go running away from a fight and he's quite sure Remus won't either but he doesn't want anything bad to happen to the man. "You can't phase until the full moon and that fucker won't hesitate to try to hurt you."

He doesn't think he has to add in that he'd be responsible should something bad happen. Harry probably won't blame him but he'd blame himself if harm came to the older werewolf.

Remus' answering grin is nearly feral. "Oh, I certainly can 'wolf out'," he says with a playful nudge and wink at Seth, who laughs loudly before clapping a hand over his mouth with a guilty expression, "whenever. It's only at the full moon when I have no control over it. I've slowly come to... embrace my nature." He glances back into the room at Nigel, Teddy and Harry before giving Jake his full attention again. "It's helped immeasurably with my control. It will only be as a last resort, mind you, since I'm fully at Moony's mercy in that state, though."

"Alright then." Jake nods thoughtfully, understanding exactly what the man means. He looks to his pack and sighs heavily. "I'm pretty sure Sam is either here or on his way. I have no idea why or what his intentions are," he mutters, running a hand over his face and through his hair. "Honestly, I'm pretty fucking shocked he was able to talk to me." He furrows his brows in thought.

"Yeah, that's kinda weird," Seth offers. He wants to blush when everyone turns to look at him. "Well, it is. He shouldn't be able to. Unless it's like... an Alpha thing." He shrugs and looks at the floor. It's not like there's ever been two Alphas before, so he's only guessing.

Leah snorts, hoisting Leo up on her shoulder. Her little kitten is almost getting too big to ride on her shoulder and she nearly pouts at the thought. "None of us heard it." She looks at Jake thoughtfully, her finger rubbing small circles between Leo's ears. "Could come in handy, though, if you can talk to that fucker without having to actually look at him."

Leo makes a noise that she decides is a laugh. That's right; Leo knows his bitch is funny. She smirks and coos at the kitten, making him purr louder and gently knead her shoulder with his paws.

"Yeah, maybe." Jake purses his lips slightly in thought. "Who knows?" He cocks his head slightly, the whispering voice of Sam louder and insistent now. "Oh, fuck off!" he growls quietly to the voice inside his head and fists his hands again. "Okay, let's go. I wanna figure out what he wants." He turns and heads out the front door, not waiting for them to respond.

As he walks around the back of the house towards the woods he easily makes out Sam's wolf standing just in front of the trees. He doesn't pause and works on clearing his mind. If Sam can hear him, he doesn't want to give any of his thoughts away in case it's a two-way street.

He steps up to the large black wolf, considers crossing his arms over his chest but decides against it. He doesn't want Sam to think he's being defensive or unwilling to listen. He pauses, waiting for Sam to phase back. After a solid minute of waiting, he just raises an eyebrow at the wolf and cocks his head.

"Anytime you wanna talk, Sam..." He hasn't heard anything in his head so he knows Sam would have to phase back if he wants to talk.

The large, black wolf makes a disgruntled noise and phases, Sam's face set in a scowl. He doesn't step closer and has a brief flair of shame at being the only one naked but easily ignores it. "Jake."

"Sam."

It's quiet again for another moment, Jake waiting for Sam to speak first. He learned from Draco the art of making people squirm; give them a fierce sneer and just glare them down. They'll crack and start babbling. He nearly grins in triumph when Sam's face contorts with disgusted resignation and he opens his mouth.

"I didn't think it would work."

Jake rolls his eyes. "Well, it did." He waves a hand vaguely as if to illustrate his point. He wants to ask what the bastard wants so bad but he knows Sam will tell him without him asking. He goes back to his 'evil stare' and soon enough Sam cows under it again and starts talking again.

"That's good. Seems to be limited though, which I suppose it probably for the best," Sam finally says, fighting the urge to babble. He hides a wince, thankful they aren't connected like they used to be. Those are images and thoughts he has no interest in. "I had a talk with the elders and they've advised me to reconcile with you. Let you back in the pack."

Jake snorts and makes to turn away, only stopping when he feels Sam wrap a hand around his arm to stop him. He glares down at the hand on his arm and nearly howls with laughter when Sam hurries to remove it, holding both hands up in a sign of surrender.

"Thanks," he says, making sure the sarcasm is heavy in his tone. God, he's been around Draco too long if he's able to sound like this so easily. He wants to grin when he can feel everyone behind him have the same thought. "But no thanks. We're good."

"Alright," Sam says easily before he swallows and looks down for a moment. "I can understand that."

He's not going to apologize. He was right to do what he did, no matter what anyone tries to tell him. Truthfully, he doesn't want Jake, or any of the ones that left to join him, back in his pack. Just because the freaks can somehow have children now doesn't make it all OK, regardless of that being the main reason he gave Jake.

However, he's been growing more nervous the longer he'd gone without hearing from the other Alpha. He doesn't mind Seth, Joe and Leah leaving as much as he has a problem with Jake being the stronger Alpha... and probably very aware of it. He wouldn't hesitate to use that to his advantage and make sure Jake was out of the way, one way or another, so naturally he feared Jake would do the same. He'd still rather the freaks left all together, but he knows it isn't going to happen.

"Is there a chance for a truce?" Sam asks, trying to keep his voice even and he feels proud when there isn't a waver. He slowly raises a hand out to Jake, not really wanting the contact but well aware of the symbolism being the important part making it necessary.

Jake stares at Sam for a long moment, his eyes not dropping to look at the outstretched hand. He's not sure how, but he knows Sam isn't the least bit interested in a truce; he's just afraid Jake will overpower him and reclaim the pack. He wants to laugh and tell him to fuck off, but he doesn't.

He's really not interested in fighting with Sam or his old pack. If this will keep those bastards away from him and his family, a semblance of peace, he'll take it. He slowly reaches out, clamping his hand around Sam's. He doesn't squeeze overly hard, just enough pressure to make it a firm shake.

"Okay. I'll agree to a truce. That goes for everyone in my pack."

"Of course." Sam's eyes flick between Leah, Seth and Joe before he nods slowly.

Jake's scowls, squeezing his hand around Sam's a bit. " _Everyone_. You'll know who they are, but I'll spell it out for you." He knows the bastard will be able to tell by smell, but why take chances? He really won't mind a reason to tear into Sam's ass but he's not willing to risk anyone he cares about. "Harry, Draco, Remus, Nigel, Teddy, my dad, Mrs. Clearwater." With each name he tightens his hand, making sure Sam is remembering and listening.

"Harry's friends are visiting for a little while. None of them are to be bothered; I don't care where they are. All of them are well aware of our... past relationship, so I doubt you'll have to worry about running into them."

"Alright." Sam nods again, trying to keep the grimace off his face from Jake's tight grip, wishing Jake would let go but unwilling to be the first to concede. "I cannot make any promises if anyone acts aggressively, though."

Jake tightens his hand again, savagely hoping Sam's hand breaks soon. "Yes; you can. We tend to have different opinions on what counts as aggressive," he growls softly. He steps closer to Sam, enjoying the way his eyes widen and his nostrils flare slightly with panicky fear.

"You don't touch _any_ of them, for _any_ reason, unless you want to test me. They are all capable of protecting themselves, as well, so unless you need a hard lesson, let your pride go on this and we'll be fine." Jake steps back but doesn't loosen his grip, no longer caring he's probably crushing the bastard's hand. Sam's a fast healer, anyway.

Sam nods, reluctantly this time. "Fine." He doesn't voice his doubts. He's seen the freaks Jake's been hanging around with and he's sure none of them would be able to defend themselves against him or his pack. He nearly smirks at the thought. He whimpers deep in his throat and winces a moment later, the bones in his hand making a sickening grinding crunch sound as Jake's hand squeezes even tighter still. Fuck, somehow his thoughts weren't so secret.

"I'm serious," Jake says in a low growl. "You have no idea..." he says, his voice low and edging towards deadly. He can feel rage bubbling, his wolf nearly howling inside to get out and tear, maim, kill at the thought of Sam touching his Harry. He can feel Joe behind him, tense and rigid, obviously aware of the entire exchange. Leo is somehow growling menacingly enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck want to stand up.

He grins with savage pleasure when Sam shrinks back. "It's not worth it, Sam. We're fine as long as you remember to just stay away."

Sam nods, his head moving rapidly. He doesn't want to try to speak, knowing his voice will sound small and scared. He briefly allows a surge of hot anger to flow through him. How _dare_ Jake threaten him?

Rational thought comes back quickly; it is indeed unwise to provoke Jake. As much as it chafes him, he's well aware he'll lose if he tries to challenge Jake. He could tell himself it would be a close fight, his ego demanded it, but he isn't stupid enough to actually try it. He's no longer caring about bravado, he jerks his hand from Jake's grip, surprised at how easily Jake lets go. He stumbles backwards a bit and glares at the other Alpha before catching himself. "Fine," he repeats with one final nod.

He clears his throat, now fearing the last piece of information he needs to share. He doesn't feel smug about it anymore, not after looking into Jake's normally friendly eyes and seeing all they could promise if he steps out of line.

"I also have to tell you… you are to remove yourselves from the rez." He wants to flinch at the hard look he's getting from Jake again.

"What?"

"The elders," Sam says quickly, hoping to divert Jake's rage to them instead. He did have a large part in the decision but knows, now, how unwise it'll be to tell that to Jake. "Decided it. You have to move off the rez." He clears his throat again. Why the fuck is it so dry all of a sudden? "You aren't part of the pack, so therefore considered a rival. No longer part of our tribe..." he trails off at the multiple angry glares he's under now, trying to ignore a few low growls as well. Even the strange older man is giving him a hard look and it's almost as terrifying as Jake's. The man's eyes are nearly glowing and he forces himself to look back at Jake.

"It wasn't my decision and it's not because of—" He pauses and refuses to anger the werewolf in front of him any more by saying any of the words he was going to, "your imprint. It's some old tribal magic thing."

He looks to Seth and Leah, jumping slightly at the large snarling cat perched on Leah's shoulder. Fuck, when did Leah get a baby panther? "I'm sorry, really I am."

Jake growls softly, feeling very sure the bastard _isn't_ sorry and resists the urge to slam his fists—or his teeth—into Sam. "Who, exactly, is being forced out?"

"All of you." Sam swallows heavily, his throat making a dry click. "Even your dad." Fuck, how did this go so horribly wrong? He isn't supposed to be feeling scared! He is supposed to be feeling smug he's getting his way; Jake and his pack of freaks away from his pack.

Jake turns slightly, giving Seth a pointed look. Seth nods eagerly and runs back towards the house, slipping in the back door a moment later. He sends Sam a look of loathing, "I see," he says and turns fully, his back to Sam, hoping the fucker takes it as the insult he intends.

Stepping away a few feet, he quietly consults with Joe and Leah. "I'm sorry—" he starts and gets cut off by Leah.

"Fuck that shit, Jake," Leah says harshly, slashing a hand through the air. "This ain't your fault," she levels an angry glare at Sam, smirking darkly when he flinches. Leo snarls, swiping a sharp clawed paw towards the cringing werewolf for good measure.

She has no idea where the fuck they're going to go, but she can't worry about that right now. She turns when she hears Seth coming back, followed closely by Harry and Draco. She involuntarily steps back a bit, blinking rapidly and rubbing her eyes for good measure as she stares at the approaching wizards.

They're both practically throwing off sparks and Harry looks like he could murder someone with just a look. They aren't waving their wands around but she's hoping they've got them stuffed up their asses or something so they can whip them out if needed. She grins and rubs her hands together with maniacal glee.

"Oh please tell me you guys are gonna do one of those hexes to this fucker's balls?" she asks as they pass her. Leo makes that laughing sound again and she rubs his ear. Harry gives her a distracted smile but shakes his head before his attention is back on Jake.

She is well aware that Leo is nearly four times his size and leans towards Draco as soon as the blonde stops beside Joe. "Yo, dude?" she whispers, elbowing the blonde gently. Draco's silvery gaze is on her a moment later and Leah finds herself quite happy she's never seriously pissed him off. He might look 'poncey' but that kind of look promises pain.

Draco's gaze softens as he focuses on Leah and he inclines his head. "Yes?"

"Uhm." She sidles closer and points to Leo, who's somehow able to still balance himself on her shoulder. He doesn't really feel any heavier, which is weird. She carefully pulls him down and holds him up towards Draco. "Why the fuck did my cat swell up?" she asks, a larger Leo in her hands, his ears are still back in agitation but he gives Draco a nuzzle when the blonde looks him over.

Draco surprises them both with a soft laugh. "He's a wizarding cat, obviously. Explains the spots," he murmurs, a finger tracing one circular shape. He gives a small smile when Leo starts to purr at the touch. "Leave it to Potter to snatch one out of thin air and give it to a werewolf," he says with a teasing grin at Leah.

"They can alter themselves, if needed. Seems this little guy," he coos, scratching Leo under the chin, "felt the need to be bigger." His looks over the cat thoughtfully. "This is probably about the size he'll eventually grow to, so, get used to that." He smirks at Leah, imaging the larger cat trying to ride her shoulder as he does now.

Leah's eyes are large as she looks between Draco and Leo. She's ignoring the fact, for now, that Draco just _cooed_ at her kitten and focuses on what he said. "That's so fucking bad ass. What else can he do?"

"Not sure," Draco says and shrugs one shoulder. "Most tend to have unique abilities. Only time will tell." He smiles softly when Leo nods and bumps his head into Leah's chin. "He's already very loyal to you, so I'm sure he'll share soon."

Leah just nods, gives Leo a thoughtful look and looks back at Sam. Jake is standing slightly in front of Harry and she's momentarily surprised the wizard is allowing it. She's well aware Harry doesn't need to hide behind Jake but she's pretty sure he's only allowing it so Jake doesn't completely lose his shit and snap.

She smirks as she takes in Sam's expression; his face is pinched with a little fear and revulsion as his eyes flick from Harry to Jake. She so doesn't envy that bastard but then again it's his own fault for having the balls to think he could intimidate Jake. Or Harry. The wizard is on the small side, especially compared to the werewolves, but just as dangerous. Like one of those colorful snakes she saw on some nature program. She must have said that aloud because Leo and Draco both snort out a short laugh and nod in agreement.

Harry eyes Jake closely, well aware how close he is to deadly violence towards the stupid man standing naked in front of them. Seth only said Sam was kicking them out of their homes before turning around and making sure they followed him back outside, obviously on Jake's recommendation.

Jake looks over at him and he immediately puts up a silencing bubble around them. Jake's eyes flash a silent thank you before he hurriedly apologizes and starts babbling. His words are fast and panicky but his body posture never changes.

"Oh god, Harry! What the fuck am I going to do? He's kicking them all out! Everyone! Where will they go? Shit! Fuck! How could I drag them all into this fucking mess?" Jake wants to kick something and pull his hair out but he's keenly aware of all the eyes on him, mostly Sam's, so he doesn't. He can't help the way his chest is heaving, though. He'd probably pass out if he tried.

Harry closes the distance between them, not caring about the audience. He closely watches Jake and sighs with relief when Jake doesn't ask him not to get too close. He lays a hand on Jake's arm and strokes it lightly, immediately noticing Jake's shoulder relaxing. "Stop. You know they chose this. They chose to go with you," he says quietly and gives Jake a soft look.

"You really can't force people to stand with you, they make that choice and you can't stop them, only respect their right to choose." Jake reluctantly nods, well aware Harry is talking from his own experiences. "I know it's hard and it bloody well sucks when things get tough but they're not going to just leave you so they can save their own arses." He smiles up at Jake. "Besides, they're not going to be homeless. We've got plenty of room," he says brightly.

He doesn't bother to ask if Sam has the authority to do what he's threatening; Jake's reaction is answer enough that he can.

"What?" Jake's eyes go wide and he tries not to gape stupidly. "I can't ask you—" Harry's eyes narrow and he steps closer, nearly making Jake step back. Shit. He does not want to piss off Harry.

"You didn't ask. I'm offering."

"Okay!" Jake says and goes quiet, letting himself think. He knows it's pointless to try to talk Harry out of his decision and he's not sure he even wants to if he's honest with himself. Finally, he sighs and nods slightly. "Okay, okay, I get it. But all your friends are still here..." He glances towards the house.

Harry shrugs, his hand wrapping around Jake's wrist. "They're not staying forever, besides I'm sure there is something else that can be done," he murmurs softly.

He can still feel the anger coming off Jake in waves so he steps even closer, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he sees Jake's posture easing a bit more. His pinky brushes soft circles on Jake's inner wrist. "In the mean time, we'll make room. I'm sorry this happened but no one is going to be left out. Alright?" He slides his hand down to loosely clasp Jake's hand. He smiles when he feels Jake's thumb trace along the metal band on his finger.

"Okay," Jake finally says closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

Part of him, that stupid male prideful part, really wants to say 'no' to Harry but the practical part is willing to accept help and allow Harry to help him take care of his pack, his family. Well, their family. He's well aware of Harry's desire to help those he feels close to.

"Okay," he says again with a sigh. "I'm still fucking pissed but I can think a little better now that I don't have to worry about this. Thank you," he murmurs, squeezing Harry's hand briefly. He scrubs a hand over his face and looks at Sam from the corner of his eye. The bastard is glaring openly at Harry and Jake nearly loses the tenuous hold on his anger.

Harry doesn't think, he just knows he's determined to help ease Jake's tension. He leans up and softly kisses him. A moment later he hears a symphony of snarls and he's thrown roughly backwards. Thankfully, his instincts kick in and he surrounds himself with a strong _Protego_ the moment he lands on the ground. A flash of pale hair in his periphery has him rolling, stumbling up onto his feet and quickly running over to cover Draco's unconscious form on the ground as well.

What the bloody hell just happened?

He blinks stupidly as he takes in the scene before him and he's not sure what to do next.

They're surrounded by snarling werewolves. A sinking feeling of dismay squeezes Harry's chest as he sees the smallest wolf, a greying brown wolf, and knows Remus has turned as well. He didn't think that could happen this far off from the full moon. The massive russet wolf is pinning the large black wolf to the ground, his jaws wrapped around the other wolf's throat as he growls viciously.

He's only now aware that the creme colored wolf is circling his protective shield, pacing and whining uneasily as his eyes dart between Draco's prone form lying on the ground, Harry crouching protectively over Draco and Jake holding down Sam.

Harry carefully steps towards the pacing wolf and nods towards Draco. "He's alright, I've got him." He watches as the large creme wolf gives one reluctant nod and steps closer to stand behind Jake, casting one last glance over his shoulder as he goes.

Seth and Leah, followed closely by a spitting Leo, are pacing the tree line and Harry hears numerous snarling growls coming from the woods. "Oh fuck," Harry breathes and concentrates on strengthening the wards, extending them slightly past the property line. A short yipping howl is heard a moment later as an unseen wolf is snapped back after trying to charge the protective wards.

He carefully stands; making sure Draco is still protected and eases over towards Joe again. "Joe," he murmurs, getting his attention. He's pinned with an angry golden gaze and has to remind himself he's not the cause. "He's still protected, I promise. What the fuck just happened?"

The large wolf looks towards Jake and Sam once more before he phases back, alert gaze still flicking back occasionally. He's confident Jake can easily hold Sam, but he doesn't want to take any chances. "Thank you," Joe says quietly, looking at Draco now.

His only thought was to get him out of the way and he's cursing himself for shoving so hard. He's only slightly mollified by the steady rise and fall of the pale chest and the lack of blood scenting the air. His hands twitch with the urge to run over and envelop his Draco tightly in his arms.

"I don't really know what happened," Joe huffs angrily, jamming a hand through his hair in agitation. "Sam lunged at you. I'm thinking he didn't like seeing you kissing Jake." Harry just gapes when Joe snickers. "Fucking asshole. From there, shit just went downhill fast. Jake was on him a moment later, as you can see. I don't think I've ever see him phase so fast before," he mumbles absently.

"Sam must have had some backup lurking back there because they got here fast," Joe says through gritted teeth. "That's them." He sneers, jerking his thumb behind him towards the trees, "Pacing and howling, trying to get at us. Did you do something?" he asks, waving a finger over their heads.

"Yeah, wards," Harry says, absently waving a hand. He doesn't explain further, knowing Joe is aware of what they are. "So, what now?" he asks, casting an uneasy look towards Remus. "He can't control himself like you lot can," he whispers miserably as he fingers his wand, unsure if he'd be able to contain the older wolf without harming him. He doesn't know any spells that will force Remus back into human form and he curses himself.

Joe turns, following Harry's gaze. "So I heard. He's fine at the moment, he's pacing with Embry, I think." He really doesn't know if the older man can handle himself or not but it's pointless to worry at this point. He runs a hand through his hair with an angry huff. "This is so fucked up. I gotta get them to phase back so they can talk this shit out. We're probably not going to be able to take on the whole fucking pack and Jake's gonna feel like shit if he's gotta rip out Sam's throat," he muses with a snort. "Well. He'll feel bad eventually."

Without another word, Harry walks up to the pair of growling wolves, unaware of the completely shocked look on Joe's face. He makes sure to approach from the side, right in Jake's line of sight. He considers holding his hands up but doesn't; he's not here to surrender to Jake and he's very sure Jake wouldn't attack him.

"Jake, love," he says softly and waits until the large wolf looks at him, surprise clearly in his eyes. Harry just shrugs, and continues. "If he calms, let him up. You need to talk this out." He chuckles when he hears a soft whine come from the large russet wolf. "I know, but it sounds like there are at least another half dozen wolves out there." He jerks his chin towards the woods behind them. "Neither of you want this to get out of hand."

He shifts his attention and gives the black wolf a pointed look, smirking maliciously. "Between the lot of us, you'll have no bloody pack standing. The choice is yours, Sam."

The black wolf immediately stills, even though the glare from those dark eyes is full of anger and hate. Jake slowly unlatches his teeth from the dark fur and backs off two steps, carefully eyeing Sam until he's sitting there naked and scowling.

Jake phases back as well and can't help the grin that pops onto his face when Harry hands him a pair of shorts, easily transfiguring them from a random leaf he plucks from the air as it blows past on a soft breeze. He smirks at Sam's stunned expression and slides the shorts up, carefully watching the other man.

He's not sure why Sam is now looking at Harry with a begrudging sort of respect on his face. The bastard just tried to rip his throat out not minutes ago! He gives Sam a hard glare, not willing to say another word until an apology is issued.

Sam clears his throat awkwardly and looks away. "Sorry," he mumbles after another minute of silence. "I shouldn't have lost control that that." He gives Harry a brief look, reluctantly respecting the man for having the nerve to approach two pissed off, snarling werewolves.

He has no way of knowing Harry rarely thought before he acted, nor is he aware that the wizard has been in more dangerous situations. He's a little pissed Harry calmed Jake down so quickly and easily. Now that rational thought is returning, he's very aware how wrong he is. Attacking Harry, on his own property, just for kissing Jake now seems like a very stupid reason to have nearly caused an all out fight. A fight he's now painfully aware he probably would have lost since the rest of his pack hadn't been able to come to back him up.

Jake stays quiet for long moments, his eyes hard and unblinking as he looks at Sam. He can feel Harry standing slightly behind him and he reaches back and tightly grasps his hand. "I'd say you need to get used to this, but I hope for both of our sakes that I have very limited contact with you."

Sam flinches slightly at the harsh tone and sighs. Of course, he's in complete agreement but he hoped Jake would feel at least a little regret for his actions, for abandoning the pack in favor of the little dark haired man he's canoodling with right in front of him.

"Of course," he finally says. He wants to leave, having said all he's needed to, but he's reluctant to turn his back on Jake at the moment, even though he knows Jake isn't the kind of guy—or wolf—to attack from the rear. He's not sure whether to feel annoyed or relieved when Jake solves his problem for him.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Good," Jake says with a nod towards the woods behind them. "Leave."

~oOo~

Jake glares at the table, unsure how he's able to let Harry calm him down so easily. He wants to rage and smash things, not sit in relative calm in the seating nook off the kitchen explaining to everyone he loves that they're fucking homeless. Harry's thumb is making slow, soothing strokes over his palm and he wants to be annoyed the action is calming. He huffs but doesn't remove his hand from Harry's.

"I'm sorry," he says again. He's glad Harry's friends made themselves scarce when they all came back inside. Hermione and Luna dragging everyone who didn't need to be in on the conversation into the living room to watch TV. He hopes Remus keeps the news to himself for awhile since he isn't sure how to handle telling his dad.

"For fuck's sake, Jake," Leah snarls and throws her hands up. "I already _told_ you this isn't your fault." She leans back, calming herself by stroking along Leo's black fur. After a deep calming breath, she gives Jake a pointed look. "I'm gonna call my mom, let her know what's going on before those fucker's knock on her door and shock her ass white." She stands, hoisting Leo up and stalking out the room with her phone already up to her ear.

Seth nods. "She's right, Jake," he says quietly. "It's not your fault, man. If Sam hadn't started all this by kicking you out—" He ends with a shrug. "I doubt he knew it would turn out like this, but we can't change it." He gives Harry a shy, uncertain look. "Are you really cool with doing this?"

"I really am," Harry says with a smile, his grip on Jake tightening slightly to keep him from opening his mouth. He looks down at his ring and rubs it with his free hand. "You're my family now too and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't do everything I can to make sure you're taken care of."

He pats Seth's knee and laughs when the smaller werewolf jumps and darts a quick look to Jake. "There's plenty of room here until you guys find something else."

Seth sags back into his chair, grimacing slightly as the wood digs into his butt. He doesn't want to sound like a whiner but he can't help it, apparently. "But we don't have anywhere to go. We can't just go buy another house. It's not like they're going to sell our place and give us the money. We're fucking screwed."

Harry purses his lips and looks at Jake. "You are aware I'm ridiculously wealthy, correct?" Jake nods warily. "You are also aware I have no real use for it, correct?" Again, Jake nods warily. "You are now aware that I will have no problem with helping in any way I possibly can?" Jake nods again.

Seth jumps off his chair, making it rock unsteadily, his hands flailing about his head. "Are you saying you're going to buy us a house? 'Cause that would be a little much, man."

"Why?"

Seth sputters, unsure how to continue. People just din't go around and giving out fucking houses. At least, not in the real world. "Because you don't just give someone a house."

"Why?"

"Uh." Seth pauses, his brows drawn together. "It's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Not at all," Harry answers calmly. "I'd actually rather you guys found somewhere you liked and build, but whatever makes you happiest works for me."

Seth goggles, his arms hanging limply at his sides. How can this dude just sit there and calmly talk about buying them land and building them a house? "But— You— We can't— What the fuck?" he sputters.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, suddenly feeling tired. He calms himself, he really doesn't want Jake or Harry kicking his ass if he goes off. "Harry, man, it's nice to offer but we can't do that."

"Why?"

Seth glares at the dark haired wizard, uncharacteristically pissed off. "Stop saying that like a fucking four-year-old. We just _can't_." Harry's eyes narrow and he stumbles backwards, backing into the counter painfully in his retreat. Oops. He doesn't cringe away but it's a near thing. He's not sure how he forgot how menacing Harry can look, even if he's pretty sure Harry won't actually attack him.

"I don't think you realize this isn't something that happens a lot," Seth finally says quietly. "I get that you want to help, but this is big stuff."

"I get that," Harry says softly, his face relaxing as he leans forward, giving Seth his full attention. "I really do. I'm sure I'd balk just as much if someone were to offer it to me. However, it's not like I can't do it. You need it, I want to help." He rests a hand on Seth's shoulder. "Please, let me do this. There are too many people involved to let pride get in the way."

Seth nearly bristles at the 'pride' comment before he realizes that's exactly the problem. He sighs, rubbing his temples, and nods. "If my mom and Leah are cool with it, fine," he mutters, crossing his arms and looking a bit put out. He gives Jake a look, smirking slightly. "You always gonna let him boss you around?" He ducks when Harry playfully swats at him.

Jake grunts and twitches with what might be a nod. "I don't think he's controllable," he mumbles then looks up and gives Harry a soft smile. "He already asked and I couldn't say no."

He drags Harry's chair closer to his, so they are sitting close again. "Thank you," he murmurs quietly, nuzzling his nose against Harry's neck. "You don't have to do this, regardless if you think it's only right."

Jake looks up when Joe and Draco enter the room, both looking rather disheveled. "Okay?" he asks, looking mostly at Joe.

Joe nods, his arm clamped tightly around Draco. He didn't need to ask forgiveness since Draco refused to admit there's anything to apologize for, but he is still feeling like a massive dick for the way he had shoved Draco earlier. He had only been able to get a quick nuzzle and cuddle with Draco earlier and he's anxious to make sure he is fully forgiven.

"Yeah," he says with a nod. "I don't really want to, but I can't just leave my dad homeless. So. If you're okay with it—" He looks at Harry now, "I'd rather just stick his ass in a hotel or something for now." Draco nuzzles closer, his hand stroking along his back and he leans into the touch gratefully. "I don't want him here."

"Yeah, alright," Harry easily agrees, only slightly confused. He's aware Joe and his father aren't close, so he doesn't question Joe's desires in the least. "I guess just get him sorted whereever."

Joe nods and settles onto one of the stools lining the counter, finally looking calmer as he takes out his phone and calls his dad, not even bothering to leave the room. Either he doesn't care to keep it private or he just doesn't want to unsettle Draco, since he's now snuggled against his chest with his eyes closed.

Harry nearly jerks Draco awake unwilling to let him sleep until he is sure he isn't concussed until he notices he isn't sleeping, just relaxing.

"Hey," Harry says quietly and shifts in Jake's tight embrace slightly to look up at him. "Would you feel better if your dad was here or what?"

Jake rolls his eyes with a smile. "Not really," he snorts. "Besides, dad was hoping to be 'shacking up' with Missus Clearwater, so..." He sends a sly look towards Seth, who's fully paying attention now with wide eyes. "We probably should discuss how this is all going to be arranged. Seeing as how it's going to be slightly different now."

Before Seth can respond, Leah bounces back into the room with a shout. "Fucking hell, Jake!" she yells as she tucks her phone into her pocket. "Did you know your pervy ass old man was making the moves on my mom?"

"Yeah," Jake snorts a laugh and nods. "He mentioned it earlier." He shrugs. "I didn't think it was a big deal. They get along pretty good."

Leah huffs and flops onto a chair, her feet coming up to bang onto the table a moment later. "Well, it really fucks up how we're going to be doing this now." She gives Harry a strange, shy look. It's almost cute how much it mirrors the one Seth had earlier. "What're we going to do about it?"

Harry blinks for a moment, thrown by the strange expression as much as Leah looking to him for guidance. "Well, whatever, really. I don't care who stays here or who wants their own place." He smiles at Leah's shocked expression. "Really. You're welcome to stay if you want to. You, too, Seth." He adds with a glance at him. He doesn't even have to glance at Jake to know he agrees. They'd gotten used to there being so many people around. It's nice and reminds Harry of happier times at The Burrow. "Is your mom able to get here on her own?"

"Not at the moment," Leah says with a shake of her head. "She's still upset about everything and probably shouldn't be driving..." she trails off quietly. She looks over at Draco, unsure whether he's sleeping or not and feeling a bit bad for bothering him. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I borrow your car? I wanna go get my mom and some things."

Draco shifts a bit to look at Leah, a small smile on his face. "Of course. At this point, it's not my car anymore. I barely drive the sodding thing," he says with a playful smirk. "I left the keys on the table in the entry way. Just make sure you keep petrol in it." He rolls his eyes at her confused look. "Gasoline. Keep gas in it."

He pokes Joe lightly in the chest. "Not that I want to move, but you should go too, love."

"Yeah, okay," Joe sighs and kisses the blonde hair lightly before shifting Draco to the side so he can stand. "I know I'm only here for muscle and grunt work." He laughs when Draco just nods and lifts his chin haughtily with a smirk. He stretches and leans down to kiss Draco again, not satisfied at all with the earlier one.

"Wait up for me?" he asks softly, his hand cupping Draco's chin gently. He smiles when his blonde nods with a wink. "Alright, let's get going," he says to Leah.

Leah stands, setting Leo on the floor. "Yeah, sure. Thanks, Joe," she mutters. She's not about to tell him not to come, feeling like an asshole for pulling him from Draco, but she will need his help lifting some of the heavier things. She gives him a small smile but flips him off when he just laughs at her. "Fucking asshole," she murmurs fondly.

They wander out, Leah snagging Seth by the elbow and dragging him out with them. Draco follows but detours to the living room to join everyone else. It's not late enough to wander up to his room just yet.

He gives Harry and Jake a brief wave before he disappears, glancing at Jake cautiously for a moment. He knows the man won't hurt Harry, but he's still exuding a strong sense of anger. Draco smirks, he's sure Harry will help him calm down.

As soon as they're alone in the room, Harry turns to Jake. "Alright there, love?"

Jake looks at their still joined hands, gaze focused on Harry's fingers. They look so pale and slender compared to his. "Yeah," he answers shortly. He knows he's not fooling anyone. He can practically feel Harry's eyes boring into the top of his head.

He sighs and gently untangles his fingers from Harry's and stands, needing to pace and rant. Get rid of this energy. "Okay, fine. I'm not all together 'alright'," he huffs, his hands now coming up to fist in his hair. He pulls slightly, not at all distracted from the anger still swirling through him. He growls. "I'm still fucking pissed and wish I'd just torn that fucker a new asshole."

He paces, well aware Harry is watching him. He looks at him from the corner of his eye and is surprised Harry doesn't look upset or scared; he's just watching Jake intently, his green eyes following each move he makes. He slams a hand on the small table, annoyed the small eating nook isn't bigger for him to pace and prowl. "I let that bastard push me and my pack out of our homes."

Harry just watches Jake another moment before he speaks, unsure if Jake even wants his input or not. "There weren't many options, love. It was either that or..." He doesn't finish and the way Jake's eyes blaze, he didn't need to. "Is that something you'd be able to do?" he asks quietly, unsure how he wants Jake to answer.

Sure, he can understand the desire to completely destroy the other man for his actions but he doesn't like to think Jake is capable of it. He knows he has to be, though; there's a reason Jake is an Alpha.

Jake turns abruptly, stalking over and placing his hands on the table on either side of Harry and leans down. He doesn't know if he's seeking the contact from him or keeping him from leaving should he say something Harry won't like.

"I don't know." He allows a brief smile when Harry rolls his eyes at the answer. "At the time? You bet your ass I could," he says lowly. He's surprised at the vehemence in his voice but unwilling to take it back.

He pushes back from the table and paces for a moment before glancing over at Harry and shrugging. "What? I really could."

"I know you _could_ ," Harry says sincerely, raising his hands. "I was mostly asking if it was something you could deal with... later. After," he clarifies. He doesn't need to tell Jake that living with something _after_ the fact isn't as easy.

Jake sighs and continues in his pacing. He's not feeling any calmer and he's not surprised when he growls again, his fists clenching tightly. He spares Harry a glance and nearly whimpers with frustration when he sees a wary expression on his face.

He blinks when Harry abruptly stands and steps closer. Jake is again smothering a whimper, or maybe a howl, when he notices Harry's wary body language as well. Like Harry's scared—of _him_. A moment later, Harry's hand is gently on his arm.

The touch seems to short circuit something and Jake can almost hear something snap in him.

A flurry of movement and he's pinning Harry into the dark corner of the small nook, his hearing muted by the blood thundering through him so he doesn't hear the small breathy squeak of surprise that falls from Harry's lips. Jake is only aware that there are so many intense feelings making his blood boil and a small part in the back of his mind is screaming that he should not be taking it out on Harry. _His_ Harry.

He quickly darts his head forward and places a bruising kiss to Harry's lips, teeth nipping and biting at the soft flesh. His hands roughly shove up Harry's shirt and he runs his hands over Harry's chest, pinching his nipples and grazing his nails over quivering abdominal muscles.

Jake slams his hips into Harry's, his whole body taut and ready to just _take_. Harry is perfect and strong and can take it. He roughly yanks at Harry's belt, a frustrated growl sounding in the small space as he fumbles with the cock blocking leather. He makes a harsh sound of triumph when he feels the leather give. He yanks the belt loose with a snap of leather and throws the belt carelessly over his shoulder.

He jerks Harry's jeans down, his hands clamping down on Harry's ass as he squeezes and kneads the muscled flesh with a satisfied grunt. He's a moment away from spinning Harry around, his hands tight around Harry's hips as he prepares to turn and bend, to swiftly claim.

A small sound snaps Jake back into the present with horrible clarity. He leans back, eyes wide and horrified as he looks at Harry. He's glad Harry's eyes are closed; he doesn't think he could stand to see anger, hurt or betrayal in them.

He winces as he looks at Harry's reddened lips and disheveled state. He'd normally find the thoroughly debauched image appealing but at the moment it makes his stomach roll queasily. He opens his mouth to utter a string of apologies, beg for forgiveness if needed, when Harry's head tilts back and he moans. Loudly.

Jake blinks and realizes he's still pressing his hips, and now fully hard cock, into Harry at an alarming pace. He blinks again when it registers that the moan isn't one of pain or discomfort, but pleasure. He groans softly and lowers his forehead to Harry's.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs quietly. He jumps when he feels Harry's open hand slap against his shoulder hard enough to sting. "What?"

"Why the hell are you apologizing?" Harry tries to glare but he's still so insanely turned on, he doesn't think it's at all affective. Jake is just staring at him, confusion and sorrow all over his face. He'd roll his eyes if he didn't know Jake is indeed seriously feeling confused and sad.

"I... I attacked you," Jake mutters miserably. "Oh god, I'm so sorry, Harry."

Harry snorts and roughly pushes his hips into Jake's. "Does it feel like I felt attacked?" When Jake slowly shakes his head, his eyes darkening again with desire, he smiles and cups Jake's face. "I'm only pissed you stopped. I'm not bloody fragile, Jake," he huffs but he's still smiling.

Sure, he had been surpsied when Jake practically threw him against the wall, but it hadn't lasted long after Jake's hands were on his body.

"But still..." Jake ducks his head. "I barely even knew what I was doing! I could have hurt you!" he insists, even though it didn't feel true. He'd never be able to hurt Harry.

Harry shakes his head and hitches his leg up and over Jake's hip. "You couldn't. Not really. Your bond or my magic wouldn't allow it," he says carefully, watching Jake for his reaction.

He is still reeling from the abrupt interruption, his body tingling almost unpleasantly at the complete and sudden lack of stimulation and he is starting to feel petulant. He's almost tempted to piss off Jake enough to have him pounce on him again. He starts to rut against Jake, hoping to get back to being ravished.

"Oh," Jake finally says. He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. "Well, for what it's worth, I'm completely calm and drained now." He feels his cheeks warm; he thankfully didn't black out completely and is sort of aware of what he did.

He's not sure what snapped him out of his daze, but he's very sure he's no longer feeling like there's are a nest of wasps angrily buzzing around his head. He doesn't like the fact he'd gotten so angry and he's even less happy with himself he'd let it get so out of control.

Harry glares at Jake. "Well, I'm glad to have helped calm you down but I'm feeling a little frustrated at the moment."

"Oh!" Jake glances down, his face comically surprised as he realizes they're both still fully aroused, pre-cum smeared all over themselves. "Uh. I could continue?" he shifts slightly, bringing up a hand to gently run a finger over Harry's red bottom lip. He nearly apologizes again but Harry's fierce glare halts the words. Instead he leans down and gently kisses him. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to be so rough."

Harry sighs and tightens his hold on Jake. "It's really alright, love. I'm not going to say I now require rough sex all the time, but it was insanely hot." He winces when Jake rubs his bottom lip a little firmer again. "I didn't even feel any pain at first, just this intense heat," he says and licks his bottom lip, grazing along the tip of Jake's thumb as he does. He doesn't miss the darkening eyes or the way Jake's own tongue mirrors his actions unconsciously.

"And don't get that kicked puppy look, I can handle you," he says cheekily, not even pausing to see how Jake responds to that statement, he just presses closer, slamming his hips into Jake's. He presses a biting kiss against Jake's chin and up his jaw. "I will always, happily, help you calm down."

Jake wants to laugh but it gets trapped in his throat when Harry's hand wraps around his cock. He doesn't move, waiting to see what Harry will do. He groans aloud when Harry's other leg wraps around him, leaving him to fully support Harry's weight, which he can. Easily. He feels Harry's magic tingle over him and he shudders violently with a grunt, well aware of what Harry just did. A slick hand moves up and down his cock, slicking him and making him impossibly harder.

His brain insists that he needs to take Harry somewhere else, their nice soft bed perhaps, but his lower brain—and an impatiently rutting Harry—can't be assed to move. He slides his fingers around Harry's hip and ass, moans when he feels Harry has already lubed himself.

Jake's eyes widen when three fingers slip in easily.

He had no idea magic could _do_ that. He's almost sad he didn't get the chance to do it himself, but he's mostly glad he doesn't have to wait now. In the span of seconds, he's forgotten his guilt and is just ready to pin Harry against the wall and fill him.

"Just—fuck, Jake! Ready..." Harry pants out, his hands trying to get Jake's shorts loosened and slide them down. He huffs impatiently and reaches down for the zipper instead, Jake's cock popping out the opening when he quickly lowers it.

He barely pauses, his hand eagerly grabbing onto Jake. "Oh fuck, go fast, alright?"

Jake just nods, unwilling to take his time either now and feeling relief wash through him that Harry agrees. Shifting Harry's weight a bit, he frees a hand so he can guide his now throbbing (and doesn't that just sound cliché, he thinks as he grips himself) cock and lines up. After a few attempts, and many muttered curses, he finally sinks in in one swift thrust.

Dual groans echo through the small nook; quickly the sound of heavy breathing and the sharp sounds of skin slapping on skin fill the small room as Jake immediately starts to move, hands around Harry's thighs for leverage and grip.

"Oh fuck," Jake pants. He's being squeezed by Harry's legs and nearly choked as Harry's arms wrap tightly around his neck. A string of curses and loud moans from Harry has him picking up speed, a guttural "harder" really the only words from Harry he can understand.

His legs soon burn with the effort to holding them vertical and he pauses long enough to turn and clumsily lower Harry down on the small dining table. It wobbles but doesn't tip, they pause and share a quick laugh before going back to the rapid pace once more. Harry unwinds one of his arms from his neck and grabs the edge of the table. He groans loudly at the image Harry makes and buries his face in Harry's neck as he continues to thrust.

Jake shoves one of Harry's knees into his chest, grinning widely when Harry nearly howls with pleasure. He's not sure how long they moved together but he doesn't care, lost in the moment with Harr. He feels Harry's body tightening rhythmically around him and he leans up to watch as Harry comes, moaning and panting. Harry's eyes are so far back in his head, he briefly wonders if it's painful.

He can't stop yet, everything feeling too hot, loving the faces and sounds Harry makes as he continues to thrust and move. He twitches and stutters through his own orgasm a moment later, nearly shouting with relief and pleasure.

Jake flops forward; he cares if he is squishing Harry but he can't find the energy to move just yet. He smiles when Harry's arms and legs loosely wrap around him and he gently nuzzles into Harry's damp neck, glad he doesn't have to move just yet.

"Well—" Harry pants softly. "Brilliant."

Jake can't help the giggle that comes out of his mouth. He doesn't even have the energy to clap a hand over his mouth in embarrassment, but he does have the wherewithal to burrow deeper into Harry's neck when he hears the wizard chuckle.

"Shuddup," he mumbles, lifting a finger with considerable effort and poking Harry in the ribs. "Prat," he mutters, grinning at the borrowed word.

Harry just giggles back and Jake feels a little better.

~oOo~

Hermione paces on the rug in front of the bed. She's keenly aware of the light blue, nearly sparkling, gaze that's following her every movement but she's trying to focus on her thoughts. She's not at all interested in making Luna leave, but the witch is quite distracting! Her gaze randomly follows the vines in the rug's pattern as he wrings her hands with worry.

"This isn't good," she mutters.

Luna laughs softly and shifts on the bed, sitting up and tucking her legs under her. "It's fine, Hermione."

"How is it fine? Did you see the look on their faces, Luna? Jake and Joe looked ready to gut someone and everyone else just looked devastated."

Luna pats the bed next to her, inviting Hermione to sit. And hopefully stop that annoying pacing. With a huff Hermione sits, her back stiff. "I know. It's pretty terrible right now, but it'll work out. Very well."

Hermione gives her a careful look from the corner of her eye before she sighs and flops back onto the mound of pillows. "I believe you, really I do, Luna," she says giving Luna her most convincing smile. She's known the witch long enough to believe her when she says such things. "I just can't bear to see everyone so upset."

"I know," Luna hums and sets herself against Hermione's side. She shyly reaches out to splay her hand over Hermione's belly, smiling to herself when she feels Hermione's muscles twitch and her breath hitch. "I don't like it either. But it was interesting to see Draco being all cuddly and adorable."

Hermione laughs, surprising herself. Luna really has a point. She'd never thought she'd ever see the snarky blonde act like that, especially in front of other people. "I know. It was... enlightening." She can feel Luna's hand swirling around her belly button, the pattern drifting up a bit towards her bra or down towards the button of her jeans. The feather light touch is making it hard to think.

She isn't sure how much she should allow Luna to distract her, though. She's pretty sure Harry is going to take care of things, but she isn't completely sure. Her thoughts grind to a halt when Luna lips press warm and soft against her neck. She tilts her head, giving Luna more skin and space.

A happy hum from Luna has Hermione shifting on the bed, awkwardly aware that the sound shoots pleasure straight through her, tingling warmly and settling somewhere behind her navel. Another happy hum sounds (and oh Merlin, it zings hotly through her again) making Hermione wonder if Luna read her thoughts.

A pale hand drifts up and Hermione surprises herself with a feeling of frustration when Luna's hand doesn't go any higher up her ribs, just sitting right below the swell of one breast, a thumb teasing at the swell. She reaches down and drags it higher to place it on her breast, moaning softly when Luna immediately cups her hand and gently kneads.

As if some sort of unspoken permission is granted, Luna moves and straddles Hermione. Her small breasts press firmly, and oh so pleasantly, against Hermione's. Her hands dip and comb through the light brown mass of hair and she's delighted at the silken feel of it as it glides through her fingers.

Hermione's eyes closed and it's her turn to moan softly. She never thought she'd be here; touching and caressing Hermione. In bed. She leans back, her hands still carefully buried in Hermione's hair, and she looks down. Hermione's cheeks are flushed a rosy pink and her lips are glistening, like she's been licking them. Hermione's eyes open and Luna is overwhelmed by brown warmth and she holds her breath.

For once, she's not sure what's going to happen. Hermione could easily go either way and she bites her lip as she silently hopes to not be rejected.

Hermione reaches up and runs a hand though Luna's blonde hair, her fingers gently wiggling to untangle the long strands. "Luna," she says softly. "I—" she cuts herself off by pulling Luna down with a hand behind her neck and kissing her. She nearly smiles when Luna eagerly responds, her body going limp above hers as her hands fist loosely in her hair, but she doesn't go too far with the kiss yet.

She slowly pulls back, and grins up at Luna. "As I was saying, I have no intention of running off again so please do stop giving me that look."

"I'm sorry," Luna whispers, her cheeks pinking lightly as she nibbles her top lip for a moment. "I won't doubt you. I will no longer expect you to run away every time I touch you," she says solemnly, her gaze firm and sincere on Hermione. She really isn't sure, just yet, but Hermione wouldn't mislead her.

Hermione gives her a careful look, unsure if she's being cheeky or not. "Alright. Good," she murmurs and pulls Luna down again, kissing her soundly once more. She doesn't feel anything but warmth and pleasure when Luna's hips (oh and other glorious parts, Hermione's mind helpfully offers) press into hers. It's not harsh or demanding like it would be with Ron. It's warm, soft and completely amazing.

She pulls back and nearly gasps in surprise when Luna nibbles her bottom lip lightly as she pulls away. "Wow," she breathes. Kissing Luna is so much better than any other person she's ever kissed before. She grins sheepishly up at Luna.

"I never really understood the big deal about kissing," Hermione whispers, her hands trailing over Luna's back and sides before sweeping down to graze over her thighs and land on her bent knees. "Now I do," she finishes, sure she's blushing again. Goodness, surely she's too old to be blushing.

Luna nuzzles into Hermione before she sighs heavily yet happily. "I've only ever kissed you, so I wouldn't know."

"What?" Hermione's hand pauses in its trail over Luna's back. "Really?" Luna just nods, her hair brushing along Hermione's jaw. "Huh. I had no idea. Does that…" she trails off, unsure how to phrase her question. "Does that bother you?" she asks quietly.

She remembers the first time they'd kissed (she had run off with a horrified expression, leaving Luna to just stand there and stare after her miserably) and she feels a pang of unease. She's suddenly filled with a sense of gratitude that Luna is so sweet and forgiving; she wouldn't blame the witch for never speaking to fer again after such a thing.

Luna leans up slightly and frowns. The expression is rare and Hermione reaches up and presses her fingers against Luna's face to ease the expression away. "No, of course it doesn't. I've only ever wanted to kiss you. And I have. I'm exceptionally thrilled about it," she ends with a soft giggle and settles back down to nuzzle into Hermione again, running her nose gently along the slope of Hermione's delicate neck.

She wants to run her hands all over Hermione but she knows that it's not quite the right time. Yet. Just being able to lay here and kiss Hermione is more than she'd ever hoped for. She sighs happily, humming with pleasure when Hermione wraps both arms around her and brings her closer.

"I'm exceptionally thrilled about all of this," Luna says quietly with a small smile.

"Good," Hermione hums in agreement, her eyes drifting closed. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come around," she says sleepily a moment later.

Luna can't help giggling. "For the smartest witch of a generation, you sure were clueless."

"Yes, well." Hermione huffs but smiles and squeezes Luna again. She trails off, knowing she really has nothing to say. She shrugs and leans up a bit to place a soft kiss on Luna's lips. "Good night."

"'Night," Luna whispers back. She's not really tired but she's well aware Hermione hasn't been sleeping well, and she's not about to interrupt her with more talk or kissing. She sighs happily again and gently scoots to the side, pressing herself closely to Hermione's side, nestling her head in the hollow of Hermione's shoulder.

~oOo~

Leah drops her mom's bag down in the entryway, freeing her hands so she can close the front door. Leo streaks past her and runs upstairs; Leah laughs when she hears her door slam closed a moment later. Joe and Seth wobble under the weight of several heavy, large boxes.

"Put those in my room," Leah instructs, grinning when both men give her a dirty look. She turns to her mom and cocks her head up the steps. "Did you want the grand tour or what?"

Sue looks around the large entryway with wide eyes and shakes her head. "No, I'd rather just crawl into bed." She gives Leah a sad look and she's unsurprised when her daughter crushes her in a tight hug. "Maybe a long soak, then crawl into bed."

Leah grins back. "You're gonna love the tub. It's fu— really huge! C'mon." She waves a hand, urging her mom to follow and ignores the glare from her near slip up. "I'll show you which room is mine. We'll bunk together for now."

She grabs the bag from the floor and makes her way upstairs. Seth and Joe are muttering curses, she can hear them placing boxes in her room before both leave. Seth stomps down the stairs and Joe wanders into his room, obviously in search of Draco.

Sue looks around as she goes, amazed at the massive house. She didn't even think anything like this even existed in Forks, let alone that she'd know someone who could live here. She'd seen the house before but only to look at it. Never to walk around it and know she'd be living there.

She follows her daughter and burst out laughing when the door opens and she sees the inside of the room. There is pink and purple everywhere and a surprising amount of glittering fixtures as well. "Um." She looks around, her gaze landing on a massive stuffed unicorn propped up in a corner. "It's very nice, thank you honey."

Leah snorts and smiles. "I know you think it's gross, but Harry was totally cool with me doing my own thing. So. Yeah. I hope you don't mind." She looks around and feels an annoying swell of affection for the weird little wizard when she sees a second large bed and a dividing screen has been added to the room, a respectable distance away from her pink canopy bed.

She looks over the dark cherry wood of the bed, covered in plain but elegant white and silver bedding, and she points it out to her mom. "That's yours."

Sue's gaze follows the pointing finger and she can't help the squeak of pleasure as she clasps her hands to her chest. "Oh!" She hurriedly walks over, ignoring her daughter's loud laugh at her expense. She flops onto the bed, wiggling and flopping to test the mattress. "Wow," she says softly. It's like lying on a cloud. She nearly curls up right then and there but forces herself to stand, smoothing her skirt as she turns towards Leah. "Bathroom?"

Leah points again to a large wooden door. This one is plain white. Sue steps over and cautiously opens it. She gapes and then mutters "Holy fuck!" before she can catch herself. She doesn't bother looking to see if Leah heard her or not, the shocked gasp and following guffaw answer enough. She steps in the bathroom and runs a finger along the large tub.

She clears her throat and gives Leah a pointed look. "I'm taking a long soak. Go away," she says and flicks her hands in a clear 'go away' gesture. She grins, softening the words.

"Yeah, alright," Leah says, trying not to roll her eyes. She crushes her mom in a hard, brief hug before she steps back. "I'm sorry about this mom, but we'll be okay." She nods when her mom smiles and nods back. "There are tons of bubble bath in that one cabinet and towels in that one," she says, pointing to the respective cabinets. "Uhm, a pillow will appear so don't freak out, okay?"

Sue nods, eyes wide. She'd nearly forgotten that Harry is... special. She glances around the room and smiles. "You know, it's not ideal as to why but there are worse places to be stuck. Is Harry still up?"

Leah shrugs. "I kinda doubt it. I'm sure him and Jake are... tired." She grins, knowing her mom didn't need, or want, an honest answer. "Breakfast is usually around nine or so, but don't worry if you miss it. There's always food around."

"Alright, I just wanted to thank him but I guess it can wait until the morning. It just feels weird to settle in without seeing him first…"

Leah rolls her eyes and waves a hand at her mom, nearly avoiding a smack. "Sorry! Anyway, take your soak. I'll see if Harry or Jake are still up. If so, I'll have one of them stop by before bed. How's that?"

Sue nods and rubs a hand over Leah's head, smoothing her hair. "Fine. Now, out." She rubs her hands gleefully, looking at the tub. "I can't wait to soak in this bad boy."

Leah leaves with a laugh and it doesn't take her long to find that only Seth is still up, everyone else having long gone to bed. Leah reminds Seth that their mom is now here, her gaze pointedly on the horror movie currently on the TV and tells him to get his ass upstairs in 20 minutes to say good night to their mom. She shakes her head as she makes her way back upstairs. She briefly spares a look at the closed door she knows Neville is behind and shakes her head again.

Tomorrow morning is going to be interesting.


	11. Chapter 11

Leah stalks down the hallway, her nose twitching with the nearly cloying smell of sex and she growls. This is another thing she really hates about being a fucking werewolf; the heightened sense of smell. It is rarely a good thing, in her opinion. And besides, aren't those damned charms (or spells or whatever the fuck they call them) supposed to keep that sort of thing away?

She had barely gotten any sleep and refused to toss and turn in her bed any longer. She wasn't keen on the idea of waking her mom; she had drifted off soon after her soothing soak and Leah had no interest in being the one to bother her mom. She'd scooped Leo up from her pillow and slipped out of her room, muttering under her breath about coffee to the sleepy kitten.

It isn't fucking fair. Nearly everyone is getting laid but her. She glares at the door leading to Seth's room and shudders. OK; not everyone. Seth is, as usual, only getting any from himself. She does not need the image of her brother flailing away on himself in her mind.

Her gaze drifts back to the door before she can help herself. Seth is rooming with Harry's wizard friend and she's annoyed with herself when she doesn't make her mind shy away from image of _him_ flailing away on himself.

Neville.

She catches herself before she can shiver or sigh like some girly fool.

She pauses and enjoys the mental images for longer than she probably should have. A grin pops up on her face as she imagines him with a big dick. In her experience, shy guys were either hung like a horse or an infant. She can admit to herself that she checked him out; it certainly wasn't itty bitty. It really wasn't her fault; the guy kept pulling at the seat and crotch of his jeans (apparently not used to wearing them). Who _wouldn't_ look when he was bringing such attention to the area?

Dammit. Now she feels like a complete perv standing outside a stranger's door and imagining him jerking off. She sucks her teeth in annoyance and continues down the hall to the stairs ignoring Leo's feline laugh at her expense.

She frowns as she thinks about the tingling she felt when she sat near the wizard last night. She'd scoffed when Jake went all goo-goo eyed talking about the thrilling electric jolt he feels when Harry's magic touches him; now she's scoffing at herself.

It doesn't mean a fucking thing, she tells herself firmly.

Maybe Neville is stronger, has more magic, than Harry and Draco; that would explain why she'd felt that invigorating tingling from him and not at all from the other two wizards. She firmly refuses to think there is any other reason for it.

He might look like a nice guy, a really nice guy, but she can tell Neville is another bad-ass. Harry only has nice things to say about him and hints numerous times how helpful Neville has been to him in the past. In his _dangerous_ past. The mental image of Neville being a bad-ass does unwanted (well, mostly just inconvenient) things to her body.

A delicious little shiver goes through her before she can stop it.

She'd kept her eyes away from the dark haired strange wizard the entire night, firmly convincing herself she didn't give a shit if he thought she was rude. She never cares when someone thinks she's rude and it irritates her that she cares what _he_ thinks. Even if only a little. She intends to continue that trend for as long as possible.

She huffs and stalks down the stairs, ignoring the soft feminine sighs behind another door as she goes. She rolls her eyes; yet more people lucky enough to be getting some. She grumbles at their lack of thought to put one of those silence spells (charms or whatever the _fuck_ ) on their door; who wants to hear that shit this early in the morning?

She rolls her eyes with an annoyed growl; oh, yeah, this is going to be a fucking wonderful morning.

~oOo~

Draco's eyes flutter open briefly and he moans softly. Merlin, he loves waking up to Joe's mouth wrapped around him. He shifts a bit so he can cage Joe's body with his legs and smiles at the surprised gasp he hears from between his legs.

He doesn't know why it's a surprise he is awake; he never sleeps through Joe's ministrations. He slowly cracks an eye open, burying a hand in a mass of dark hair, letting his smile grow when he meets dark hooded eyes when Joe glances up to look at him through his dark lashes.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why aren't you sleeping?" Draco asks, voice quiet and a bit husky with sleep. It's ridiculously early in the morning. It's barely approaching dawn; there's only a soft purplish light coming through the windows.

Joe shrugs and bends his head down to lazily draw his tongue over Draco's hard length. He makes a deliberate, obscene slurping noise as he circles his tongue around the tip and moans loudly, making a show of savoring the flavor on his tongue. His blonde especially gets off when he makes it clear how much he loves his cock. It really isn't hard to do, he does indeed love it.

He pulls back and nuzzles his nose into soft blonde curls, inhaling deeply before sighing with contentment. "Not tired," he finally murmurs, resting his cheek on one pale thigh. His eyes close with pleasure when he feels hands in his hair again but fly open again and he looks up in surprise when those hands tighten as Draco pulls his head up and forces him up his body.

"What?" He tries not to whine, but he's really not happy he doesn't get to finish.

"Did you sleep at all?" Draco asks softly as he draws his hand down to cup Joe's jaw. He eyes Joe closely, taking in the tired eyes and rumpled state.

He doesn't like going to sleep without Joe, but he didn't put up much of a fuss when he saw how upset Joe was last night. He knew Joe needed to work out some frustrations and he offered to help (waggling his eyebrows and arse suggestively, of course) but Joe had smiled softly, gave him a brief hard kiss and shook his head.

Only the obvious regret in his eyes kept Draco from pitching a fit like a spoiled brat, stamping his foot and demanding satisfaction. Apparently, Joe didn't want to take it out on Draco (no matter how many times the blonde assured him he could take whatever Joe could dish out) still feeling like a massive arsehole for his earlier behavior. Joe needed to run and howl, and as much as he obviously regretted turning down the offer of a hard fast shag, he had to do it alone.

"A little," Joe allows.

He doesn't share that he'd basically passed out in his wolf form after throwing a temper tantrum. He woke up in a thoroughly destroyed clearing in the woods behind the house, startled and lonely. He quickly phased back and made his way back to their room in a daze. He'd been ready to just curl up around his Draco and sleep but the amazing scent of Draco had him wide-awake, in every way.

Draco sighs and draws Joe up more, only slightly sorry to miss out on a brilliant blow job. "A little?" he asks skeptically, shifting and manipulating Joe until he's lying on his back. He smiles when Joe's arm snakes around his waist to hold him close. He sighs happily as he lays his cheek against Joe's warm chest, his hand splayed over his heart.

He lazily traces random patterns through the sparse hairs, barely holding back a dopey smile when he realizes he's mostly doodling hearts like some third year Hufflepuff.

Joe hums with sleepy pleasure when he feels cool fingers brush and caress along his chest and arm. His eyes feel heavy and he almost jerks himself awake so he can finish his earlier task but Draco's fingers work a kind of magic and he's nearly asleep when he hears Draco murmur softly in his ear. "Sleep now then, love."

He smiles softly when his blonde snuggles closer against his side, grateful he doesn't have to fall asleep alone again.

~oOo~

"Let them."

Jake can only sit back and stare at his dad with incredulous confusion. There is no way... he can't mean it. "What?" he whispers.

He looks over briefly at Harry, glad they are the only ones in the kitchen to hear the insane words coming out of his dad's mouth. Harry is paler than usual, looking miserable, his eyes firmly on his cooling mug of tea. Jake frowns slightly at the closed off expression on Harry's face. It's almost the same expression he woke up with and Jake wishes he'd taken more time that morning to try to wipe it off his face.

He shakes his head a little, getting rid of numerous arousing mental images and gives his attention back to his dad. His _insane_ dad.

"You heard me, Jacob." Billy nods, as if he understands his son's shock. And, really, he does. "Let them," he repeats slowly. "Did you think I'd tell you to fight Sam and the others on this?"

Jake nods, his eyes narrowed. "Well. Yeah. I really thought you would." What the fuck? Why is his dad recommending that they basically roll over and let them get away with this?

Billy snorts a laugh and takes a long moment to enjoy his coffee. He doesn't know why it's so good; he watched Harry brew it using nothing but the usual process and usual things. Did he add a dash of cinnamon? Maybe the water is better here?

His musings are cut short by Jacob's impatient growl. "Huh? Oh, right." He chuckles but there is little humor in the sound. "Think about it, Jacob." He reluctantly puts down his coffee and leans forward in his wheelchair, poking a finger in the air. "If you try to fight this, what happens? We're 'let' back—" He makes air quotes as he says it with sarcasm, "But then what? Everyone will shun us."

He raises a hand, shaking his head sharply when Jacob opens his mouth to disagree. "They _will_ and you know it."

It hurts him more than he can say that his son (and the other boys) is being treated this way. He never thought Sam and the tribe would react in this fashion over something that his son (or any member of the pack) has no control over; no one can decide their imprint. And no one can deny or refuse their imprint, either. Not without great cost to their health or life.

Anger simmers, sure those bastards would've been happier if his son had refused and just wasted away.

Not to mention he doesn't see why there can't be two packs. It's such old fashioned hogwash. It fills him with anger and frustration. That is another reason he has little desire to return; he doesn't think he'd be able to respect any of those people after all of this.

"I, for one, refuse to live that way. It's not like we don't know people off the rez." Charlie lives in town and he can't think of anyone else, besides Sue, that he really socializes with. He purses his lips in thought for a moment. "The other option?" He pauses again and grins when Jake leans forward, eager to hear his words.

"Yeah? What's the other option?" Jake finally asks, his impatience clear in the nearly growled question.

Billy grins. "You take the land away and make _them_ find new homes." At Jacob's horrified expression he nods. "Exactly," he says and happily picks up his mug again, a smug smile his face.

He knows his son, and the young man beside him, well enough to know that isn't an option he'd consider. He isn't in the least happy with how things are turning out but he resigned himself to think of this as a new beginning. Harry's older friend, Remus, was immensely helpful with that realization. The older werewolf has an amazing (verging on saintly, really) amount of patience and looks at things with a calm he could probably never attain.

There is a reason for everything, clichéd but rather true, and he is determined to sit back and figure it out.

"But—" Jake sputters, his head whipping back and forth to look between his dad and Harry. "I can't do that." Harry is nodding along with him, his eyes wide and shocked.

Billy waves his hand dismissively. "If you mean you don't have the right, you're wrong." He raises an eyebrow at Jacob's surprised expression. "You're also wrong if you think you don't have the ability."

He doesn't mention that it would undoubtedly cause a long, messy legal battle; even if they had rights, there is no way there won't be a fight about it. He nearly shudders at the thought of having to deal with lawyers and the law.

"Huh?" Jake's eyes go wide again and he blindly reaches for Harry's hand, thankful it's clasped tightly a moment later. He runs his thumb over Harry's knuckles, the action soothing him somewhat. His head is practically swimming with everything his dad has been saying in the past few minutes and he's... confused. So confused.

Billy laughs quietly and shakes his head as he leans forward in his wheelchair. His voice is hard and serious. "You can. Why do you think you were meant to be Alpha, Jacob?" he asks, a small smirk on his face when he sees realization light in his son's eyes. "I know you wouldn't do something like that though, so why worry about it?" He leans back in his chair, with a satisfied grin on his face.

"Oh," Jake breathes and leans back in his chair as his head flops forward, his chin nearly touching his chest as he thinks. He doesn't doubt his dad, on either point, but he's not that kind of guy. He can't, and won't, bully people around.

After a long moment he looks to Harry, "What do you think?"

Harry blinks a few times, surprised but pleased to be asked his opinion. "That's up to you, love," he says quietly and gives Jake a small smile as he squeezes his hand.

He in no way looks forward to all of them being treated unfairly should they return. And it somehow feels wrong to follow the other option as well. Even if Jake is within his rights; it just feels wrong to uproot all those people. Just because they can. Just to prove a point. He is in complete agreement with Jake.

"Harry." Jake shifts in his chair, turning so his body is facing Harry as well. "I asked for a reason. What do you think?" he asks again, stressing each word in his question. He's going to ask everyone else, too, but he needs Harry's input first. It doesn't feel right to not ask him first.

Harry sighs and closes his eyes. He isn't one to just let people walk all over him, but the alternative is... unthinkable. He slowly opens his eyes, very aware of Billy across the table grinning at him as if he knows what Harry is going to say. Harry nearly smiles; he most likely does.

"I think you lot need to forget them and find another place for yourselves."

"See?" Billy says and slaps the arm of his chair with a shout of glee, pointing a finger at Harry as he grins at Jake. "Harry knows what's what." He sends Harry a pleased smile before focusing on Jacob again. "I know, it rankles something fierce to let them force us from our home, Jacob, but I think the alternative will be better. For everyone."

Even if he's not fully grasping the _how_ , he knows his son will be having a family at some point and he refuses to think of his future grandchildren around the kind of people that would turn on Jacob and the other boys.

When Jacob just continues to sit there, looking dazed and slightly ill, he leans forward and grabs his son's free hand and wiggles it to get his attention. "You know what feels right, don't you, son?"

Jake nods blankly. "Yeah," he mutters hoarsely after a long moment. "I think I do..." he shifts his attention back to his dad. "I assume you got something in mind?"

"Not a damn clue, son," Billy says with a grin and shakes his head. He leans back and laughs at Jacob's annoyed expression. "Don't give me that look, Jacob. I know you'd rather talk to the boys... um, the pack about it," he hastily corrects, hoping Leah isn't anywhere near the area to hear his mistake. That girl will bitch and moan for who knows how long and he's got no patience at the moment.

He carefully balances his mug on his lap and wheels himself backwards. "I will gladly offer my wise words, but after you kids talk." He grins, enjoying the idea of being the 'elder'. "You boys _are_ sticking around?" he asks, directing the question at Harry. Harry is well aware Billy is asking about him and Draco. He continues with a nod as if Harry has answered. "It's not like there's any rush to decide, right?" he sends Harry a fond smile and leaves, his mind already on the sports channel. "Oh, and congrats boys!" he hollers over his shoulder with a chuckle.

Jake groans softly. "Well, fuck," he mutters and lets his forehead land with a dull slapping thud into his palm. "Can you believe this shit?" he mumbles to the table. He's not sure if he's thinking aloud or asking Harry. When Harry makes a soft noise of agreement, he can't help the small smile on his face.

He swallows heavily and raises his head slowly. "You are sticking around, right?" he asks quietly.

He's mostly concerned about Draco. Now that the other wizard is fully attached to Joe (and by extension, the pack), he's still unsure what the blonde has planned for the foreseeable future and whether or not he'd try to drag Harry away. He wonders if this is something he should have asked before giving Harry a ring...

"Yeah." Harry shrugs one shoulder. "I hadn't planned on leaving everything entirely when I came here..." he trails off, very aware of the very warm hand now squeezing his painfully.

He looks up to meet Jake's eyes and he wants to curse when he see uncertainty and pain in them. Where else would he go, though? Home is now wherever Jake is. He tries to think of a reason to return to London and he can't.

Harry reaches up to stroke a thumb along Jake's cheekbone and smiles. "I can't imagine where else I'd want to be, love." When Jake sags with relief he grins. " _Honestly_. What did you think I was going to say?" he teases and resists poking Jake's stomach; he didn't want to move his hand from Jake's or his face.

Jake shrugs, still trying to breathe through the panic that constricted his chest moments ago. "Sometimes I don't know," he mumbles as he places a hand over the one Harry has on his face and leans into Harry's touch. "I get a little freaked out that I'm going to wake up and find this was some kind of fantastic dream."

He feels his cheeks heat; he hadn't meant to say that out loud. His eyes lock on the ring circling Harry's finger and he smiles as he runs a finger along it. Did he really expect his fiancé to just leave? He grins at the thought; fiancé. "It's not something we've talked about, so I wasn't sure." He would follow Harry no matter where the man went, even if he'd be torn and probably miserable leaving his new pack. It really only takes one look for him to realize Harry won't ask that of him, though.

"I know, it just never seemed important," Harry says and moves closer, his knees bumping lightly into Jake's. "It just seemed a given I'd stick around," he says honestly and moves even closer until he's nearly straddling Jake's lap. "But I want you to know, I'm not going anywhere without you. OK?" Jake nods and he smiles. "And we wouldn't go anywhere without a thorough and complete discussion about it." Jake nods again. Good. "Besides, even without a ceremony or a piece of paper, I'm yours."

He pulls out his wand, his thumb sliding along the smooth wood as he thinks, searching for the right words. Jake doesn't even blink anymore when he pulls his wand out, even though he's never sure where the hell he keeps it.

Harry can feel Jake's curious gaze on him and he smiles. "Did I ever explain what a Patronus is?" he asks. When Jake makes a vague sound and nods uncertainly (he _did_ listen when Draco talked about Dementors or whatever those freaky sounding things were), he smiles. "It's hard to explain..." he trails off, his thumb back to sliding along his wand. "It's like a concentrated happy thought."

"You did mention it once," Jake says, a bit uncertainly. He didn't want to ask Harry for more details, he hated to see the dark shadows in his eyes the time he did mention it. He mostly remembers the flush of pride he felt when he'd learned that Harry learned such an advanced spell at such an early age.

He barely keeps his raging curiosity (and a tiny speck of annoyance, he can admit) about the subject change to himself; why is Harry talking about this _now_?

Harry nods and rubs the back of his neck, suddenly feeling nervous. "Well, a Patronus is different for everyone. If you can manage a corporeal one, a shape, you can't pick what it'll be. It's just... what it is. Yours. Generally it's an animal; supposedly symbolic of your inner self or some such rubbish. Mine was a stag." Jake's eyebrows perk at the word 'was'. He nods again, a small, shy smile on his face. "Until my fifth year," he says, a bit shyly. He quietly murmurs something and waves his wand.

Jake gasps, eyes wide, when a brilliant silvery plume of mist bursts from the end of Harry's wand. It immediately forms into a wolf and it frolics around the kitchen before coming to a stop in front of him. He grins when the wolf cocks its head at him. He nearly reaches a hand out to pet it, it looks so real.

"I didn't let anyone see it for awhile and the ones that did thought it changed because of Sirius," Harry says quietly and pauses for a moment, clearing his throat. Jake squeezes his hand briefly and gives him a small smile. "I thought it was strange and exciting when it changed but I knew it wasn't because of Sirius," he says, looking at Jake intently. "I've only recently figured out it was because of you."

He cups Jake's face, his thumb stroking softly along his strong jaw line and bottom lip. "It looks exactly like you," he murmurs quietly before his gaze drifts to the silvery wolf that's now sitting at their feet looking between them with interest.

Jake tears his eyes away from Harry to look at the wolf closely. It's only one color but he can easily make out details. He really doesn't know if it looks exactly like him, but he's sure Harry is right since he has seen him in his wolf form. He looks at the silvery wolf and he can believe it's a perfect replica of his wolf, if only smaller. And if he were silver. And misty. He smiles.

"Okay, so what does this all mean?" he finally asks, unable to help himself. It's thrilling to know and he feels insanely happy and touched with this knowledge nonetheless when he realizes he's effected something major. A surge of warmth goes through him; he's effected Harry's _magic_.

Harry laughs softly and flicks his wand. Jake watches as the wolf jumps to its feet (its mouth opening with a silent bark) and runs around the room again before disappearing through the wall in a puff of mist.

"I was upset it changed only for a moment. I felt like the Stag was my connection to my father. I felt torn when it changed; I missed having that connection but I was thrilled to have something that was mine. Just mine. You know?" Jake nods; he doesn't really but he certainly understands what Harry means. "So, what this all means, Jake my love, is that you're completely stuck with me. I'm going nowhere without you."

"Good," Jake says firmly, pulling Harry closer. He nuzzles the side of Harry's neck for a moment before he blurts out "But _why_ did it change?"

Harry grins and leans back a little. " _You_." He pokes a finger gently into Jake's chest. "You changed it. I don't know why the timing was why it was, but I know it's a reflection of my connection with you. Our connection," he says, waving a hand between them.

Jake blushes darkly and Harry can't help poking him in the stomach playfully. "What?" he asks, smirking.

"Well, uh," Jake mutters and then clears his throat as he looks up at the ceiling. "If I'm doing my math right, it was probably around the time I, uh, wentthroughpuberty," he ends in a mumbled rush.

He doesn't want to mention how embarrassing it was to be one of the last of the guys he knew to finally hit puberty; but all was forgotten when he shot up practically overnight and he had more muscle than any of the other guys within months.

When Harry sends him a sweet smile instead of laughing at him, he meets his eyes again. "Would that do it?"

Harry hums thoughtfully and shrugs. "Maybe. It would make sense if you can't imprint before then." At Jake's nod, he bites his lip and stares down at Jake's chest not seeing Jake's raised eyebrow. "Do you only get one?"

"One what?"

"Imprint." Harry sucks his teeth in annoyance at having to spell it out for him.

Jake gives Harry a blank look. "Of course. How many should I have?" he asks with a cheeky grin.

"No," Harry huffs and slaps at his arm. "I mean… if you hadn't met me, would you like—" He waves a hand around a moment, lost for the right word, "reset and find someone else?"

Jake frowns slightly and he looks at Harry closely. "No. I just wouldn't find my other half and that would be that. We only get one and it's not even a guarantee we'll meet them." At Harry's sad face he leans forward and runs a finger down his cheek, kissing him softly. "But I did find you. So, don't worry about it, okay?" he whispers, sending a quiet thanks to whatever brought Harry half-way around the world and basically dropping him in his backyard.

"Alright," Harry finally smiles, and nods. "I suppose it's really stupid to worry about something that didn't happen." He sits closer and throws his legs over Jake's.

His mind is full of questions but he's at a loss as to what they are now that he's pressing close to Jake. He nearly groans aloud at the contact when he scoots closer, now straddling Jake and pressing close when Jake's hands slide under his arse and holds him. He knows they should talk more about the whole 'relocating the pack' thing but he's more interested in untucking Jake's t-shirt right now so he can run his hands along Jake's warm bare skin.

"What do you want to tell the others?" Harry murmurs, distracted as he runs his nails lightly down Jake's back.

Jake nods along. Really, how is he supposed to keep a running conversation with Harry when the man is practically squirming in his lap and he can feel the heat radiating off his body, slightly cool hands now sliding along his stomach and inching closer and closer to his shorts?

"What about Draco?" he murmurs after a long moment of sliding his hands up and down Harry's thighs.

"What about him?" Harry leans back slightly and blinks in confusion. He knows Jake has a reason for asking but he can't imagine what it can be. He can find no jealousy, that having disappeared long ago, just curiosity.

"I don't know," Jake murmurs, his mind foggy beyond any thoughts that aren't Harry. Or Harry's body pressing into his. Or Harry's hands running along his back under his shirt again as he presses closer so Jake can easily feel his growing arousal. "I don't give a shit about him," he mutters before leaning down and kissing Harry.

He smiles at the soft moan that immediately leaves Harry as he slides his lips against his as he tilts his head slightly to draw them closer. He's no longer surprised such a small noise can cause his whole body to flush with heat and desire. He firmly wraps his arms around Harry's back and brings him flush against his chest, moaning softly as Harry shifts and he easily feels Harry's quickly awakening arousal. He nearly blushes; it's almost ridiculous how fast and easily they affect each other. Handy, though.

An amused snort has them both jumping slightly. Harry whips his head around and nearly falls from Jake's lap, thankful Jake's hold tightens in his surprise.

"What about me?" Draco drawls from the doorway. He's leaning against the doorway, arms and ankles crossed with a smirk on his face. "And Jake, I'm hurt you don't care," he intones, mocking a pout as he places a hand over his heart.

Harry blinks and nearly slides off from his perch but Jake's arms tighten and he flicks his eyes downward, silently asking him to stay. He's not interested in Draco seeing either of them in such a state. Harry blushes lightly and settles back down into Jake's lap after a quick kiss on his neck, turning his head slightly to address the blonde now pouring himself some coffee. "What?"

Draco smirks again—still?—and raises a pinkie off the handle of the mug to point at Jake. "He said 'what about Draco?' so I'm curious, and repeat: What about me?" He lets the sugar hover over his coffee for a moment before giving it a brief stir and taking a long sip. Americans have shit tea but the coffee is nearly orgasmic.

"Huh?" Jake shakes his head, clearing it, before he grins. "Oh yeah. Sorry. Harry tends to scramble my brains," he grins at Harry and it grows when Draco laughs. He turns back to the blonde once his thoughts settle and he finally remembers what he was thinking earlier. "I was wondering what you planned to do. You know. Later." His hold on Harry tightens slightly as his earlier fears resurface.

Draco hums thoughtfully and sips his coffee for a moment as he thinks. What _does_ he plan on doing? He certainly has no intention of going anywhere without Joe but he's not sure after that. He is growing to like America more and more, so staying isn't going to be nearly as hard as he first thought.

"Not sure, yet," he says and shrugs one shoulder. He gives the couple a long looking over and grins. "So, made any wedding plans?"

He nearly scowls in disappointment when they both beam goofy grins at each other instead of getting flustered and embarrassed. He sighs softly; it appears his days of embarrassing the pair are nearing an end. It was such fun, too. When they shake their heads and proceed to snuggle and kiss right in front of him, he clears his throat loudly.

"Don't you think you _should_ make some plans?"

Harry snorts a laugh and grins back at Draco. "No."

"And why not?" Draco demands, looking affronted. He sees Jake looking just as confused. Surely the speccy git didn't intend on eloping or—he shudders delicately—do one of those boring, short ceremonies in an office in front of some official.

"I've got you to do that for me, don't I?"

Draco opens his mouth to deny it, and deny it vehemently, but closes his mouth when he realizes that Harry is completely right. He certainly isn't going to leave it to Potter to plan a _wedding_ , even if it is his own. He visibly shudders at the idea. He sniffs and lifts his chin in the air. "As if you'd allow my genius."

Harry's eyes go wide and sincere. "I certainly would, Draco. This is like—" He waves a hand around in a circle, "Your thing." He looks at Jake for his input and only gets a shrug back.

Jake doesn't care as long as they get married and he doesn't have to wait too long.

"See? Even Jake knows this is your forte," Harry says brightly and sends an evil grin at the blonde and Draco nearly runs from the room at the look. "What about you and Joe?"

Draco snorts a short laugh and holds up his bare left hand in answer. He doesn't want to say that he's been waiting, and hoping, but he knows Harry can tell, damn him. "We're not rushing into anything," he finally answers.

Jake can only blink at Draco.

He knows Joe mentioned popping the question to Draco earlier, he even showed Jake the band he'd gotten. It's flashier than the one he got Harry; solid gold instead of platinum, with a line of small diamonds set along the entire center. What is Joe waiting for? It's obvious Draco won't say no and even more obvious he's expecting and hoping to be asked.

Jake just nods blankly, looking at Harry out of the corner of his eye. He sees the same expectant, confused look on his face. "Well," he says loudly and stands with Harry still wrapped around him. "I, for one, would love to finally see this broom flying business," he announces and nearly laughs aloud when both Harry and Draco share twin smirks and glare at each other with good-natured rivalry.

He mentally high-fives himself for the successful distraction.

"Yes, Potter. Release yourself and let me show your man how badly I can beat you," Draco says with a haughty little sniff and drains his mug with gulp, nearly throwing it in the sink in his zeal to get outside and flying.

Harry laughs, slapping at Draco. "Bring it, Malfoy," he taunts and shimmies himself off and away from Jake after a quick peck to his lips. "Did you even bring a broom, you tosser?"

Draco sniffs and brushes past him. "Of course, _wanker_."

With that they both scramble from the room and Jake laughs. They shove each other lightly and trash talk (Jake grins when he realizes he doesn't understand most of it) at each other as they make their way to the back patio doors. He follows and but waits just outside the doors when the wizards approach a small shed, still sending snarky comments to each other all the while, and disappear for a moment.

The wizards emerge side by side, each with a broom in hand. Draco's is dark, nearly black, with silvery twigs sticking out the back and Harry is holding the one Joe got for him. They both run a hand down the wooden handle and little foot holds pop out of the bristles.

Jake notices they're both grinning at each other like little kids as they finally make their way over to him.

He only half notices them; most of his attention is on the massive pitch he's standing on. He hadn't gotten a chance to see it since Draco got everything set up. It is impressive. Three large wooden spires (big hoops top each one, reminding Jake of huge sewing needles) rise up to dizzying heights on both side.

There's a definite thrum of magic to the area as well, but it's an overall feeling that just makes the hairs on his arms want to stand up. He can only guess at what kind of magical spells Draco put on the area.

Jake smiles as Harry hurries over to him, green eyes dancing with mirth and a grin plastered on his face. It takes a moment for him to catch his breath, reeling from the sight. He feels like a stupid romance novel character but he has indeed gone breathless at the sight of his Harry.

"Don't freak out," Harry says and pulls Jake down by his shirt to kiss him. "These things—" He waves his broom slightly, "are fast but I've been riding one for nearly a decade, alright?" he murmurs against Jake's lips. "And there is a cushioning charm on the pitch." He almost didn't mention it, not wanting to put the idea of him falling in Jake's head.

Jake nods slowly and Harry smiles and releases him, his hand lingering slightly as he smooths the slightly wrinkled fabric over his chest. He digs around in his pocket and brings out a tiny shiny binocular looking object and hands it to Jake after it enlarges. "Here. Use these if we get to far away."

Jake turns them around and looks through them. He nearly drops them with a barely suppressed shriek. "Holy shit! What are these?" Even though he was looking towards the woods, the image was of Harry standing in front of him with his broom now between his legs.

"Magical binoculars," Harry explains with a smile. He figures that's the best way to describe what omnioculars are. "They'll keep us in focus." He turns slightly and raises an eyebrow at Draco. "Ready, Malfoy?"

Draco just sneers and mounts his broom. A moment later he pulls a small golden ball from his pocket with a happy grin, the sneer completely gone. He holds it in his palm and Jake's eyes go wide when small, delicate looking wings unfurl from the ball and start moving so fast they blur. The thing hovers over Draco's palm a moment before darting up and away.

Jake can barely follow its progress and he gives Harry a questioning look. "You chase that thing?"

He doesn't want to sound disbelieving but he does find it hard to believe. It's so small and moves so fast. How can anyone see it or keep up with it? He might be able to as a wolf, if that thing didn't zoom around in the air. He looks at Harry closely; it isn't hard to see he is in good enough shape but he wonders how Harry is able to keep track of it since he has to wear glasses.

Harry grins and nods happily, now hovering above the ground on his broom. "Youngest Seeker," he says in answer as he points to himself. He turns and gives Draco a smug smirk. "In a century."

Jake grins at an openly annoyed Draco; he really likes a cocky Harry.

Draco glares and Jake can tell it's mostly real. "Don't get too cocky, Potter. I've beaten you before." Twice, he adds mentally.

"Twice," Harry says with a laugh as he holds up two fingers. "And it doesn't count since you cheated. And once, we were playing for fun." He floats over to Draco and bumps their shoulders together. "Like now," he says with a smile.

He doesn't want this to be anything but fun. They've been able to play with nothing but good nature for years and he knows most of the barbs and talk is simply just what they do and there isn't malice there anymore. He hopes to keep it that way. Though, he'll never intentionally let the blonde win. He grins. Draco is nodding with a small smile. Of course it's just for fun.

Harry looks up and catches sight of the snitch briefly. "It won't leave the wards, right?" Since Jake obviously is able to see everything, he doesn't bother asking about any other wards.

Draco rolls his eyes. "Of course it won't, Potter." He zooms up to Jake on his broom and pokes him lightly with the toe of his boot. "Stay behind that line," he points to a line in the grass. "Unless you want a face full of broom."

Jake nods and steps back a few steps, keeping a good distance from the line. He watches as Harry and Draco give each other a nod and they're both in the air in the blink of an eye. He stares, thoroughly entranced by the sight of Harry riding around on a broom. A large, happy smile is on his face and he can completely understand the feeling of absolute freedom.

He tries to ignore the gut clenching fear of Harry falling off that fucking thing and just watches Harry enjoy himself. Harry's hair is blowing around wildly and Jake can't help but grin; as if it would make it more messy.

As he watches Harry and Draco hover near the middle, they appear to be talking, but not taunting each other again. They're both reclining on their brooms, looking as relaxed as if they were sitting in a chair and not on dinky brooms hundreds of feet in the air. Jake grits his teeth and reminds himself Harry has done this before. Often and with lots of experience. It really doesn't help much, he realizes with clenched fists.

He peeks up through the weird binoculars and smiles at the relaxed and happy expressions on both their faces. Harry looks so natural hovering in the air on a broom.

"So, no ring yet?" Harry asks once they're in the air. He looks at Draco but he's always keeping his eyes moving, in search of the snitch. Fun or not, he's not going to let the blonde git distract him.

Draco sighs and shakes his head. "No. But—" He pauses and bites the inside of his lip. "I have a feeling it's coming though." He smiles freely, not caring if he looks like a besotted fool. He _is_ a besotted fool.

He had considered owling his mother about the news but decided to wait until it actually happened before starting _that_ argument. He's aware his parents aren't happy with his Joe, but he really doesn't care; he doesn't need anything from them so they can whinge and moan all they want.

Harry smiles. "Well, if he does... Would you...?" he trails off, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly full of nerves. He's very aware Draco will say yes when Joe asks; that's not what he wants to know.

"What?" Draco prods, poking Harry with his foot. "Spit it out, Potter."

Harry clears his throat. "Well, if he does ask, would you want to do it at the same time?"

Draco blinks at him, his body relaxing in shock and he nearly forgets he's on a broom for a moment. He wobbles slightly and glares at Harry, as it is his fault for shocking him so badly.

"Why would you want to do that?" he finally asks. He doesn't want to say no, but he isn't sure what's motivating the question. It's never been easy to allow Harry to help him, but he has a strong feeling it isn't something he'll say 'no' to either way.

Harry rubs the back of his neck again and feels his face warm with a light blush. "I just thought it would be nice. That way we don't have to have everyone come twice and—" He sighs, he doesn't want to have to mention that he feels bad that Draco, or Joe, won't have much of a guest list when they get married. "You're my best mate, it's really not a problem to share it with you."

Apparently, he doesn't have to as mention the lack of guests. Draco's face softens and he nods.

"I'll see what Joe thinks." He flies closer and places a hand on Harry's arm. "You do realize this means you are now required to have an even more elaborate affair, yeah?" He smirks and lifts his chin haughtily. "I refuse to have some mundane ceremony."

"Fuck," Harry groans and covers his face. "I didn't think of that," he mumbles but it's hard to feel that bad about it when he sees the big smile on the Draco's face as he makes mental preparations. He's happy to give Draco a chance for the perfect wedding. Before he can say anything more, he spots a flash of gold and smirks. He grins when Draco notices and they both take off at the same time after the elusive snitch.

Jake barely notices he's no longer alone. Neville, Seth, Hermione and Luna have wandered out to the pitch. Everyone but Seth is nursing a large mug of steaming coffee (or whatever strange white concoction Luna is drinking) and they all greet Jake absently, their gazes on the two wizards flying above them.

"Wicked!" Seth breathes, gaze tracking Harry's flying figure. "I didn't really believe them..." he trails off and stuffs a doughnut into his mouth without taking his attention off the blurred form of Draco. They're both flying in circles and corkscrews, diving and swooping around. It looks like fun! "Would I be able to do that?" he asks Hermione, pointing up towards the flying wizards.

"Probably not…" she murmurs, her attention on Harry. He is flat against his broom, one hand extended, chasing the snitch with his usual near suicidal speed. "I don't think you've the magic required to get them off the ground." Luna hums thoughtfully and nods in agreement. Hermione tears her gaze off Harry to send her a brief but bright smile. "They make it look easy, but it's difficult to fly."

She doesn't feel the need to mention she's a horrible flyer, barely able to keep a steady flight path when on a broom. She certainly would never be able to fly as fast and agile as Harry or Draco can. When Harry pulls his broom up sharply, looping dizzily and darts behind Draco, smacking the blonde before zooming off, she flinches; she doesn't have any real desire to fly like they do, either.

"Oh." Seth pouts and shoves another doughnut in his mouth, ignoring the jelly that globs out and lands on his shirt. "That sucks," he mumbles through a mouthful of half chewed doughnut.

Jake winces, watching the flying wizards with wide eyes. "Do they always fly like that?" he murmurs as he watches them twirling around each other in a complicated move that he can freely admit has his heart racing with a large amounts of fear and panic. His whole body is tense and clenched as he watches.

Neville is the first to answer, "Oh yeah. Harry's a natural on a broom. Since first year." Neville laughs when he hears an indignant shout from above them. He can see Draco flailing an arm at Harry only to have Harry turn on his broom and give Draco two fingers with a grin as he zooms away. "This is what they do," he says fondly as the wizards are back to flying neck and neck after the snitch.

"Draco is one of the few people I've ever seen that could give Harry any kind of challenge," he says quietly as he watches them race and yell at each other. He's glad they're high up enough he can't make out the words; they've made him blush more than once with their taunts and good-natured ribbing.

Jake swallows heavily and nearly shouts when the snitch makes a sharp dive and both men quickly turn to follow it. It looks like Harry is falling like a stone, he's laying flat against his broom with one hand extended out in front of him.

"Use both hands for fuck's sake," he groans softly, his hands clenched into tight fists.

Jake darts a look at the small crowd and is only slightly eased by the unconcerned, but expectant, faces of Harry's friends. Luna is even laughing and clapping. Hermione is biting her lip slightly and Jake has a feeling she's always been worried about Harry and his flying. Seth looks entranced while Neville is just grinning, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet with his hands raised a bit in excitement and anticipation of Harry's catch.

Harry is still zooming towards the ground with Draco only slightly behind him. Just as Jake is about to scream and cover his eyes, convinced Harry is about to go _splat_ into the ground, Harry pulls his broom up and flies about a foot off the ground. He's smiling broadly and Jake can see something shiny clutched in his hand. Then he's off his broom with a graceful hop as he holds the fluttering snitch above his head as he waves it at Draco.

Draco is down and next to him a moment later, one finger pointing sharply towards Harry. "You cheating Gryffindor bastard!"

Harry rolls his eyes. "I didn't cheat, wanker. You're just too slow," he says with a grin. He triumphantly waves the snitch in front of Draco's face. "Best of three?"

Draco sneers and snatches the snitch from Harry's hand. "You're on, Potter." He grins and covers the snitch with both hands for a moment. Just as he's about to release it, a shadow looms over them. "Hey, Jake." He smirks, looking up.

He blinks at the panicked look on Jake's face. Oh. Right. He takes a moment to be glad Joe is still sleeping, or maybe already gone to work, he's not sure of the time, and steps back as he covers the snitch with both hands again, giving Jake some room to rant and rave. Joe would probably drag him back inside after such a display; he's not sure whether to be touched or annoyed at such a thought.

"What the fuck?" Jake breathes to Harry as he grabs him and holds him to his chest with panicky tightness. "I thought you were going to smack right into the ground." He buries a hand in the mess of Harry's hair and the other wraps tightly around his waist. He can't control the shudder at the thought and buries his face in Harry's hair.

Harry tries to chuckle but it's getting hard to breathe. He taps Jake and draws in a breath when he feels the hold loosen. Slightly. "Sorry if I worried you, love. That's just how it goes, though." He runs both hands down Jake's back, hoping to calm him. He can only imagine how it must have looked to Jake. "I promise to be a little less... crazy."

Jake wants to nod and agree—no, _demand_ it—but he slowly shakes his head and lets out a deep breath. "No, it's okay. You fly—" He sighs and looks skyward, "like you usually fly. I'll get used to it. Probably," he mumbles.

He looks back at Harry and tries to give him a small smile. It's hard stay in a state of panic when faced with Harry's bright-eyed exuberance and gummy smile. "It was amazing watching you, though." When Harry just beams at him he huffs and slaps a hand on Harry's ass.

"Go on, then." Jake chuckles when Harry yelps and jumps away; he really didn't smack him _that_ hard. "Go play."

The words are barely out of his mouth when Harry and Draco hop back on their brooms with twin whoops and are back in the air, taunting each other again and flying into each other to bump shoulders.

Jake sighs and walks back over to the small group of spectators. "I'm probably going to regret asking this, but," He looks at Neville mostly, "has Harry ever been hurt doing this?" He waves a hand at the flying pair. He tamps down the urge to cringe; brooms fly high and his mind is trying to supply horribly graphic images of what could happen if Harry fell.

Neville clears his throat and looks up. "It's a natural part of the sport," he says in reference to Quidditch. He's nearly positive Harry has never gotten hurt simply flying or during a Seeker game with Malfoy, though. "What?" he looks over when he feels a heated gaze on the side of his face.

"How bad?" This time Jake asks Hermione, sure she won't lie or try to sugar coat it. He scowls slightly when the witch just stands there and chews her bottom lip, obviously sorting out what to say and how to say it. "I'm guessing I don't wanna know," he finally says after another long moment of silence.

Luna shakes her head while Hermione takes a subtle step back from Jake so she's closer to Luna and clears her throat. "No, you don't want to know," Hermione finally answers. "Suffice it to say, he's always been fine afterwards and he's never been that close to dying." She curses herself at Jake's horrified expression. "Bugger," she whispers hoping no one hears her. Luna giggles softly and she gives her a mock glare.

"Jake," she says and waits until he stops looking at Harry zooming around over their heads with a tight expression on his face. She flinches slightly when Harry does a tight barrel roll and zips through the posts; it's probably a good thing Jake didn't see that. "He's only ever gotten hurt during a match when someone interfered. Never when playing for fun like this," she says, waves a hand upwards.

"Uh huh," Jake says dryly before giving her a confused look. "Isn't interfering what happens during a game?"

He didn't learn much about Quidditch but Harry and Draco both said the Seeker tends to get the most attention during a game. From whizzing enchanted balls and guys with bats, he remembers with a scowl. What the fuck kind of sport is that, anyway? Who thinks of that and calls it fun?

"From other players, he can handle."

Jake still is confused. "Huh? I'm not following."

Luna giggles and waves at Harry, even though he isn't looking and doesn't see her. "Wrackspurts and other nasties," she says airily in answer, looking briefly at Jake so he knows she's answering him and not speaking gibberish. If Hermione doesn't want to tell him about the enchanted bludgers, looming Dementors or crazy Professors, she certainly isn't going to. She grabs Hermione's arm and snuggles into her side.

"What the—" Jake huffs and crosses his arms. "Neither of you are making any sense." He looks up again in time to see Draco fly into Harry, making them crash and wobble slightly. He's about to yell but hears Harry's rich laughter and he frowns instead.

He gapes stupidly when he sees them both start slapping at each other, holding onto their brooms with only their knees. "Oh, what the fuck," he mutters with dismay as he watches the display. "Is he _trying_ to kill himself?"

He surprises himself and laughs when he sees them still slapping at each other, their faces turned away and both are obviously yelling obscenities at each other. If they weren't flying around on brooms way up in the air, Jake would find it extremely funny.

Neville laughs and shakes his head. "No, no, I told you; this is what they do." He points when they both grab their brooms again and start a crazy series of circles and loops as they fly. "I don't even think they're chasing the snitch anymore at this point," he says with a grin.

He claps a hand on Jake's shoulder, snorting softly when he realizes he's gotta rise up on his toes a little to do so. "He knows what he's doing and Draco doesn't actually want to knock him off anymore, so they're just messing about."

Jake scowls but tries to calm himself. True, Harry obviously has a lot of skill with flying. Jake cringes when Harry appears to fall under his broom and the cheeky bastard rides it upside down for a moment as he reaches out with one hand.

He can't stop the laugh that comes out when Draco flies close and tickles Harry's stomach. He'd probably pound the blonde if he made Harry fall but it only causes him to pull his hand back from reaching for the snitch and slap at Draco before he grabs the broom and rights himself. A moment later a triumphant shout is heard and they both drop to land a few feet from the small crowd.

"You cheating Slytherin bastard!"

Draco laughs outright and waves the snitch in Harry's face. "I didn't cheat, you're just too slow," he mocks and struts around the pitch with the snitch raised over his head. Jake snickers at the display.

"You _did_ cheat, you git! You _tickled_ me!" Harry cries indignantly as he points at the blonde and throws his broom on the ground. He jabs a finger into Draco's chest and hisses quietly. "I could have fallen off, you arsehole."

Draco pauses in his victory dance for a moment and raises a pale eyebrow. "No you wouldn't have, Potter. Did you even slip at all?" he asks, keeping his voice as quiet as Harry's. He nearly laughs in his face until he realizes Harry is upset only because Jake would be freaking out.

"No," Harry says slowly and huffs. "Not the point, Draco." He crosses his arms and peeks at Jake from the corner of his eye. He looks amused at the moment so Harry turns and sticks his tongue out at him before turning his attention back to Draco. "Call it a tie then?"

Draco nods, smirking. "Sure, wouldn't want you to lose again in front of your boyfriend." He laughs and tucks the snitch away and grabs their brooms from the grass. He jerks his chin towards Jake. "Besides, I think anymore and he'd sprout grey hairs and try to ground you."

Harry chuckles but it dies in his throat when a mental image of Jake tying him to their bed pops into his mind. Maybe he could stand to be grounded... A little. "I should have realized," he says quietly as he shakes his head. "I didn't even think how it would look to him." He hangs the brooms up and shuts the shed door with a muffled slam.

Draco throws an arm over Harry's shoulders and gives him a quick squeeze. "True, but at least now he knows exactly what to expect the next time. I don't think there's a way to ease him into watching you try to out fly me."

Harry shoves at the blonde. "Git."

Draco just smirks and drops his arm. Harry stops with a strange expression on his face when Jake starts over towards them. Draco keeps walking when he sees Jake head towards Harry, intently looking at Harry.

He glances back a moment later and smiles when he sees Jake squeezing Harry in a tight hug and muttering something to him. He shakes his head a little; he can understand the reaction and he's not looking forward to Joe's reaction when Jake, undoubtedly, tells him all about the harrowing experience. He grins hoping he can catch Joe still in bed.

~oOo~

"What?!"

"Seth, calm down." Jake says patting his hands in a 'down' gesture. "I'm just telling you what my dad said," he says trying not to smile or laugh at Seth's outburst. He can understand; he had about the same reaction, though he didn't wave his arms around and jump all around like a hyper puppy.

"But... But..." Seth sputters and waves his hands around again before flopping into a chair with a pout, his arms crossed over his chest. "You said you agreed with him." He shoots a glare at Jake and Harry, knowing the wizard agrees as well. What the fuck are they thinking?

Jake nods slowly. "I do. But I'm not going to do anything until we all agree, okay?" He looks at Joe and grins. "So, you gonna dance around and yell at me too?"

Joe snorts a laugh and shakes his head. "Not in the least, man." He rearranges Draco's leg on his and reaches for his hand, his thumb making lazy circles along Draco's palm as he thinks. "I agree with Billy and Harry." He gives Leah an expectant look. He laughs when she just flips him the bird and smiles sweetly.

"The only thing I want to add," he says quietly, "is that I don't want my dad around." He sends Draco a brief smile when the blonde squeezes his hand. "I'm not even all that sure he'd want to hang close, anyway," he says with a shrug. He's finally able to manage any painful feelings about his father; he does not want to revisit them by keeping him around all the time.

Jake nods and gives Joe a brief pat on the shoulder. He heard about what's been going on and he doesn't blame Joe one bit and he'd personally kick his dad's ass if he tried to force his way in. "Leah?"

"I really don't care either way. I'm only going to go along with this if my mom is okay with it," Leah says not looking at anyone, her gaze firmly on Leo's sleeping body draped across her lap. He's grown some more and his paws are dangling off her thigh as he lays on his back with happy abandon. She lightly scritches his tummy, smiling when Leo stretches and makes a growling purr sound as he curls up and goes back to sleep. "I really don't give a shit if we don't go back to the rez."

She looks up at Jake with a smirk, "And besides, Mister Howell over here," she says, jerking her chin towards Harry, "is willing to set us up, so why the fuck not?"

Draco and Harry look at each other before they both give her confused looks. "Mister Howell?" they ask in unison.

Leah laughs and shakes her head. "Never mind... old TV show." She waves a hand at them, dismissing them and glares at her brother. "You still saying no, little bro?"

Seth slumps in his chair and glares at Leah. "No," he mutters, knowing he's out voted. Now that he's thinking about it, they've got a very good point. He wouldn't want all those people glaring at him and talking shit behind his back. "I'm just still shocked. And confused. And pissed off." He pauses and looks at Jake. "Wait. Why did Sam say he'd let you back in the pack only to pull this shit?"

"I dunno," Jake says with a shake of his head and a shrug.

Harry is the one to answer, his voice deadly quiet and Jake shivers pleasantly at the tone. He isn't surprised it's a turn on when Harry goes all 'I'm a bad ass' but he didn't think just a low tone could make his whole body react like this and make his cock twitch in his shorts.

"I don't think he had any intention of allowing you lot back," Harry says lowly. "Either he wouldn't allow it in the long run or he was very aware Jake would tell him to sod off." He suddenly grins and brightens. Jake nearly pouts at the change; he was really enjoying the powerful energy he felt crackling off Harry.

Harry claps his hands together and rubs them. "Right. I'm going to go get Billy," he says as he hops up and hurries from the room.

Jake stares after him a moment, lost in thoughts of Harry's delicious ass even after it—and Harry—disappears from view and starts when Joe pokes him. "What?" he glares at his laughing friend, willing himself not to blush.

"I do apologize for interrupting your thoughts of his ass." Joe smirks knowingly, well aware of where's Jake's eyes were. "But I asked you what the plan is?"

Jake doesn't like the highly amused look on Joe's face but there's really very little he can do about it. He was thinking of Harry's ass, so it isn't like he can dispute it. "I'm not sure. I think that's why Harry went to get my dad."

Draco perks up from Joe's shoulder with a triumphant noise, "I can call Angela!"

"Angela?"

Draco lifts his chin. "My estate agent."

Seth gives him a blank look a moment before he grins. "Oh-h-h," he says nodding his understanding. "I wasn't sure. Um... why?"

Draco pulls out his mobile from his back pocket. He checks the time before he answers Seth and presses the few buttons needed for Angela's office number. "Because," he drawls, "she'll help us find somewhere to call home." He sends Seth a smile when the younger werewolf nods his understanding again and holds up a finger when Angela picks up.

"Angela!" he greets with genuine pleasure. "I have a favor to ask." He pauses and grins, "yes, a big expensive one." He laughs delightedly and leans back into Joe with a pleased smirk. "I'm looking for a large parcel of land. Can you help me with that?" he shifts the mobile as he listens and sits upright with a look of surprise after a few moments. "I should say that sounds perfect. How much?" He inspects his nails, completely ignoring the interested faces that are now staring at him. "Fantastic! I'll get back to you once we're certain, but do hold on to it." He laughs again with amusement. "I should hope so! Thanks, love!"

He hangs up with a smug expression and leans back in his chair, again ignoring everyone staring at him, silently begging for information with their rapt expressions.

"WELL?" Seth finally hollers, waving his arms around again. "What did she say? You sounded really excited." He points at Draco with a grin.

Draco crosses his arms over his chest. "I'll wait until we're all here." Joe snorts with amusement at Seth's annoyed growl. "I don't like repeating myself."

Harry and Billy come back in the room, both looking around at everyone with confused looks on their faces. It isn't hard to miss the excited tension in the room. Harry settles back into his chair next Jake and gives him a questioning look.

"What's going on?"

"Draco here has some news but he didn't deign to share until you guys came back." Jake ignores Draco's raised eyebrow, sure the blonde is mocking him. He waves his hand in a 'go on' gesture.

Draco clears his throat and sits up. "Well, I called Angela and she informed me there are two parcels that would work. One is a massive wooded lot and the other is a small development."

Billy slaps the arm of his wheelchair with excitement. "Hot damn! How small is the development?" he asks after a moment, surprised no one else asked.

"Not sure about acreage but it has half a dozen town-homes." He taps a finger against his lips lightly in thought. "I'm not sure on the size of the houses either, before you ask." Angela didn't specify but he's sure the woman won't try to show him something small and unbefitting him or his tastes.

"And the wooded lot?"

Draco shrugs one shoulder. "Over a hundred acres." He didn't really pay attention to that one... but they didn't need to know that.

Jake sits back with a huff. "Well, both sound promising. What do you guys think?"

"Can we see them first?" Seth asks quietly, mostly asking Jake but his eyes are darting between Draco, Harry and Jake.

Draco shrugs again. "I don't see why not. Angela is very accommodating," he says with a smirk. "I'll call her tomorrow and we'll set something up." He looks around and only gets nods in response.

He stands and stretches before grabbing Joe's hand. He doesn't say a word as he pulls him up and out of the room, ignoring the questioning looks from everyone. He doesn't say anything and Joe finds it hard to keep quiet after a few long moments of silence as they head down the hallway and up the stairs.

"What's up, love?" Joe finally asks. Draco just grins over his shoulder at him and keeps walking. He sucks his teeth in annoyance and grabs the blonde's wrist, stopping him. "What's goin' on?"

Draco huffs and places his hands on Joe's shoulders before looking up. "I just needed a moment alone with you," he murmurs quietly before standing on his toes to kiss Joe thoroughly. "I didn't get a chance to earlier." He'd come back inside from flying that morning to find Joe had already left for work. He tried not to sulk but he did spend most of the afternoon bored and sullen, annoying even Harry.

"I figured we were done down there, so." He shrugs with a grin, pressing his body against Joe's, "I wanted to take advantage of you before we had to rejoin everyone for dinner."

Joe smiles and lifts Draco up until the blonde wraps his legs around his hips. "I see. Poor baby," he whispers and kisses Draco again, his hands sliding under Draco's thighs to hold him as he continues on to their room. "This works," he mutters, mostly to himself.

"For?"

"What?" Joe asks distractedly as he shifts Draco's weight so he can open the door. He kicks the door closed and heads towards the small sitting area instead of the bed.

Draco raises a pale brow, feeling slightly annoyed. "This works for what?" he asks again as Joe turns and drops onto the overstuffed chair, keeping Draco close to him as he flops down. Draco watches in wonder as Joe's cheeks pink and he looks down shyly. He isn't used to seeing Joe blush or avoid his eyes, so he gets very curious and starts to bounce in Joe's lap.

"Ooh! What? What? What?" he asks with each bounce.

Joe laughs breathlessly and grabs Draco around the hips, stilling his distracting movements. "I've been meaning to ask you something." He clears his throat and pulls something from his pocket. He smiles when Draco's eyes eagerly track the movement and then go wide when the black velvet ring box comes into view.

He bites the inside of his cheek to keep in the hysterical laughter trying to bubble out of him; he's so fucking nervous! He's slightly bolstered by Draco's warm, excited gaze as he stares at him, obviously knowing what's coming and waiting patiently. He snaps the small box open and does laugh, softly, when Draco's eyes practically bug out when he sees the ring he picked.

Joe takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Would you do me the immense honor of agreeing to be my husband?"

Draco sits back, his mouth opening and closing a few times. He really was expecting this at some time, but he's speechless now that he's actually sitting there with a ring being presented to him.

He plucks the ring from the box with shaking fingers and nods emphatically, feeling like a Muggle bobble head. He holds it out and shoves it at Joe, silently asking him to slide it on.

Joe takes it with a face splitting smile and slides it on one shaky pale finger.

"Oh," Draco breathes as he holds up his hand and turns it slightly to inspect it. "It's perfect," he says quietly, running a finger slowly over the line of diamonds embedded in the otherwise plain gold band.

He looks up and wraps his arms around Joe's neck, probably a little too tight if the squeaked choking sound is any indicator, and kisses Joe hard. "Yes," he whispers against Joe's lips when he pulls back just enough to be heard.

He buries his face in Joe's neck, breathing deeply trying to keep the mortifying tears at bay when he feels the annoying prickling in the corners of his eyes. He really doesn't mind that Joe sees that but he does not want to leave the room with red, puffy eyes for everyone to see and _know_ that he had cried.

Joe laughs, feeling breathless and ecstatic. "I figured that when you snatched it and made me put it on you," he says after he leans back with some effort—Draco is rather strong—and his expression sobers as he cups Draco's face. "I love you," he says quietly, feeling the urge to say it.

He jerks back slightly when Draco's eyes get shiny and he sniffles softly. Joe brushes his thumbs along the lightly pinked cheeks. "Oh—" he doesn't get a chance to even say anything else when Draco's arms shoot out and crush him to the blonde's chest. Joe squirms, desperate to touch Draco more but his arms are pinned and he's a little shocked he can't budge them from Draco's grip.

Draco jerks back with a snarl when there's a knock on the door. "Fuck off!" he yells at the door. He scowls when he hears soft giggling.

"Draco-o-o!" He hears from the other side of the door. "Jo-o-o-oe!"

Draco groans and lets his head flop onto Joe's chest with a muttered "fuck". He slaps at Joe's chest when the bastard has the audacity to laugh. "You shut it," he hisses quietly and points a finger in Joe's face, and scowls when Joe leans forward and kisses his fingertip. "I don't know why you aren't just as annoyed to be interrupted."

He leans back and halfheartedly glares at Joe but his expression softens and his lips twitch with a smile when his eyes land on the ring on his finger. "Fuck," he mutters again before raising his voice so he can be heard. "What?" he calls out sharply and frowns when another giggle can be heard from the other side of the closed door. "Fucking Looney!" he hisses under his breath. Who else would stand there and _giggle_?

"Harry wants to know if you'd rather call for take-away or if we should all go out?" Luna says through the door, bouncing lightly on her toes in excitement. Oh goody! Another happy couple! She barely contains the urge to clap.

She hears another muttered "fuck" and a muffled thump before the door is being forcefully opened and she's faced with an irate Slytherin. She tries not to laugh at his mussed hair and flushed face, barely resisting the urge to point and coo.

"Ooh!" She immediately grabs Draco's hand to inspect the beautiful ring Joe gave him. "Oh, Draco," she breathes, "it's beautiful!" she gushes and clasps her hands together between her breasts. "It's just perfect!"

Draco stares at the strange little blonde witch for only a moment before a large grin splits his face as he shows off his ring with his chin lifted higher. "Thank you," he says importantly. "I think, under the circumstances," he says with a peek out of the corner of his eye at Joe as he comes over to stand next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, "we should go out." He tries to fight the happy sigh as he melts into Joe's side, but really, he's only human.

He ignores Luna's rapt, yet somehow slightly vacant, expression as she watches them in favor of staring up at Joe with a dopey smile on his face.

Luna laughs delightedly, hands clasped behind her back and bounces on her toes again. "Yes yes! We need to celebrate!" She darts forward quickly and grabs each man by the back of the neck, pulling them down with surprising strength and places a kiss on each of their cheeks before they even know what's happening.

She smiles up at their dazed expressions. "So wonderful!" she gushes and turns to skip away. "I'd say you've about an hour or so," she says with a grin and a wink just before she disappears down the stairs.

Joe stares after the blonde witch for a moment before turning to Draco with a blank expression. "You're right. She's completely barmy." He snickers and grabs Draco, lifting him to bring him up level to his lips, and kisses him softly. "Let's get in the tub," he leers, picks Draco up again and heads towards the massive tub in an easy strut.

~oOo~

Jake is lying on the bed, naked with his hands under his head, and lost in thought by the time Harry comes out of the bathroom.

Dinner had been... interesting.

They'd taken up nearly half of the restaurant with their massive crowd since everyone had gone out. _Everyone_. It was a little surprising to see Draco blushing when Harry spied the glittering band on his left ring finger. Joe had puffed his chest out proudly and leered at the blushing blonde as they were congratulated by everyone. Even his dad had clapped both men on the back—hard, if the winces and rubbed areas were to be believed—and ordered champagne for everyone. Teddy pouted and only calmed when he got his root beer poured into a champagne flute.

He shared a private smile with Joe and offered his sincerest congratulations as well; pleased beyond words that his best friend was so happy. He'd only been slightly surprised when Leah hugged both men and offered them 'Sam's mangy ass hide as a skin rug to fuck on' as a wedding present, earning shocked laughter from the couple—and a slightly disgusted, rapidly shaking head from Draco—for her comment. He'd painfully snorted champagne up his nose and buried his face in Harry's neck to hide his insane giggling; it was quite the mental image and the wide eyed, glazed look Neville was giving Leah only made the giggling worse.

It was almost easy to forget all the drama that's been going on with Sam.

He spares Harry a brief glance until he _sees_ Harry. He does a double take, watching as Harry slowly strips off his clothes as he readies for bed. Jake frowns slightly when he realizes he's not being slow to seduce but because he's also lost in thought.

Jake stares, watching as light golden skin is revealed, slightly annoyed now at the slow pace as Harry leisurely pulls his shirt off over his head. Jake's eyes briefly flick up to Harry's messy hair, a small smile reducing his frown. Static is making the unruly dark strands even more crazy.

Jake sits up to lean back on his hands, his attention now fully on Harry. He frowns when he sees Harry's eyes are slightly unfocused, looking internally, as he shimmies out of his jeans. He finds himself feeling annoyed and slightly angry, unsure why until he realizes he's pissed that this bullshit that's been going on with Sam and the pack is drawing their focus from each other.

He huffs silently; by now they'd be kissing and pawing at each other or at the very least undressing each other. Slowly, and savoring each inch of skin revealed with lips and hands. He shivers slightly, rubbing his hands over his arms to smooth the goose bumps away.

Harry pauses, his thumbs hooked in the elastic of his boxer briefs, half-way bent over with his pants mid-thigh, when he catches movement from the bed and sees Jake's dark look. It isn't the usual dark look full of desire Jake has when he's naked; he looks angry.

He raises an eyebrow in question. He prefers to sleep nude, having got into the habit when he was very young and overly large pajamas nearly choked him more than once. The habit stuck as he got older since he enjoyed the feeling quite a bit and especially since Jake likes it—makes any activities that much easier. He barely notices he is standing there practically naked as Jake scowls.

"What's wrong?" he finally asks.

Jake's face immediately smooths out and he shakes his head slightly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts that were steadily making him annoyed and angry. "Nothing," he murmurs and crooks a finger at Harry. "C'mere," he says quietly, smiling when Harry hurriedly kicks off his underwear and jumps onto the bed, landing a few feet from him.

He reaches forward and pulls, grinning when Harry squeaks and lands awkwardly sprawled across his lap. He rights Harry and kisses him before he can say anything. He pulls back, looking into Harry's eyes. "You know I love you, right?" he asks quietly, his hand resting on the back of Harry's neck and massaging lightly.

"Yeah, I know," Harry says, blinking a bit with confusion even as he nods. "I love you, too." He smiles, the worries that were plaguing him earlier flying out of his head as Jake looks at him with such warmth—OK, maybe _heat_ is more accurate now since Jake's eyes roam his naked body—and love.

He brushes his fingers down Jake's cheek and he scootches closer, pressing himself closer to Jake as he shifts more comfortably to straddle Jake's lap. He wants to ask why the sudden declaration but he just rests his cheek against Jake's chest and waits for him to speak his mind.

He knows Jake isn't angry with him, so he waits patiently.

Jake runs a hand down Harry's side and back, delighting in the pleasant shiver that works through Harry at the touch. He sits quietly for long moments, just stroking Harry's skin; enjoying the texture of it and the warmth of his body pressed to him.

It feels like forever since they'd just sat quietly enjoying each other.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly, resting his cheek against Harry's head. He smiles when Harry doesn't move or jerk back, just sighs and wraps arms and legs tightly around him.

"What on earth for?" Harry mumbles against Jake's chest. He really wants to dart his tongue out to taste the warm skin, and that delectable, pert brown nipple that's so close, but he doesn't think now is a good time for such distractions.

"For all this bullshit!" Jake says lowly through gritted teeth, a hand flying up, feeling some of the annoyance flair through him again. He feels Harry's body tense and he runs a hand down his back again, not even bothering to stop himself from ending the caress at his ass.

"We should be planning a wedding and shit. Not fighting with some asshole and having to relocate my entire pack." He doesn't add that's he's slightly pissed that they're rarely alone, the house being so full of people but he doesn't since he's very aware that Harry enjoys it so much.

He feels Harry's quick intake of breath and buries a hand in his hair, massaging and toying with the dark strands. "No," he growls, anticipating Harry's unneeded, and unwanted, apology. "Don't say it."

Harry jerks back, a little annoyed and a little angry. "Say what?"

Jake has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning at Harry's expression. Or lunging forward and claiming those slightly pouting lips. It's probably a little insane that he's so turned on by the look on Harry's face. But how is he not supposed to be turned on when there is a light blush on Harry's face making his cheeks adorably pink and his green eyes are bright yet dark and narrowed?

"That you're sorry," he says sounding knowing and smug, even to his own ears.

"Oh." Harry's shoulders slump and he flops forward to rest against Jake again. "But I am," he mutters petulantly. He knows it isn't his fault, but how could he not feel the pain they, especially Jake, are all going through?

He says as much and bites Jake's chest lightly, ignoring the difficulty in doing such by the well formed muscles giving him very little skin to nibble, when the git laughs at him. He rolls his eyes when Jake moans dramatically loud and begs him to do it again, his voice heavy with amusement. "Shut it, prat." He rolls his eyes again and swipes his tongue quickly over the light red mark to sooth it.

Jake chuckles. "Fine. Later." He nods with finality, sure they'll continue later. "Anyway." He moves, bringing Harry with him as he lounges back on a pile of pillows. "I just realized it was cutting into our time together."

Harry leans back again, "Oh, is that why you were glaring at me with that angry look on your face?"

"Yeah!" Jake raises his hands and waves them around. "There I was, laying there naked and you were stripping like a wet dream and neither of us were paying all that much attention!" He huffs and pouts when Harry's eyes go bright again with humor.

Harry snorts a laugh, unable to hold it in. He leans forward and nibbles Jake's protruding bottom lip, flicking his tongue across it to distract him. He continues until Jake is panting softly and he's no longer looking annoyed with Harry's person. "I didn't mean to laugh," he apologizes quietly. "I just hadn't realized... I'm sorry."

Jake growls softly and rolls quickly, trapping Harry under him as he presses his chest to Harry's. "Stop apologizing," he whispers and smiles when Harry nods, his eyes wide, and he swallows thickly. He watches Harry's throat work for a moment, nipping at the bobbing Adam's apple lightly. He knows Harry isn't scared, the rock hard erection pressing into his thigh is proof of that.

He brushes his lips over Harry's. "I did say we _both_ weren't paying attention. Though, _I_ noticed _you_ naked first," he says as he presses his hips into Harry's and grins when Harry moans softly and arches into him. His brain is starting to go wonderfully fuzzy with lust, so he pulls back a little.

He still has some things on his mind. "I don't want you to restrain yourself anymore, okay?"

"What?" Harry asks, blinking stupidly and frowning with confusion.

Jake leans down and nuzzles Harry's flushed neck, his tongue darting out occasionally. "If you want to sit close to me, hold my hand, kiss me, whatever it is? Do it. I don't care where we are or who's around. Okay?"

He'd caught Harry numerous times looking at him at the restaurant, and while he didn't expect Harry to straddle him or throw him on the table and have his wicked way with him, he could see the longing to touch him clear in those green eyes and he found himself annoyed.

"Alright," Harry says after a moment, after another few blinks up at Jake and he grins. "It seems like only a short time ago I said nearly the same thing to you." He nearly apologizes again but swallows it and just nods, bringing his leg up to hook behind Jake's lower back. "Alright. I just wasn't sure."

Jake covers Harry's lips with a finger and smiles. He'd probably feel insecure or antsy if he thought Harry didn't want to, but he knows Harry just wasn't sure how to act around his family and pack. Or his own friends. Or maybe he wasn't sure how Jake would react. "Now you are."

He settles heavily between Harry's thighs, a bubble of contentment floating through him when Harry's legs part and wrap around him a moment later. "Please?" He kisses a trail down Harry's neck to his shoulder. When Harry nods enthusiastically, he grins. "Good!" He shifts again and sits up, pulling Harry with him. Harry blinks dazedly at him. "We got more to discuss..." he trails off, gaze on Harry's chest and pebbled nipples.

Maybe they didn't _have_ to talk about it now... No! He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.

"Such as?"

"I forget," Jake murmurs, his mind now on Harry's hard cock brushing against his with each breath Harry takes. He closes his eyes and groans when Harry shifts in his lap. "Stay still," he pleads, grabbing Harry's hips in an effort to still his movements.

Harry almost shifts again to be cute but settles and looks at Jake expectantly. He sits quietly, watching as Jake tries to clear his thoughts.

"Wedding!" Jake says triumphantly, even raising a finger in the air as he says it. He ignores Harry's amused snort and pokes him lightly in the chest. "I have a feeling you want something simple. Understated." Harry nods and he smirks. "I have other plans, babe."

Harry groans and rests his forehead on Jake's shoulder. "You've talked to that blonde bastard, haven't you?" he whines.

"Yup!" Jake chirps happily and runs a hand through Harry's hair, smiling softly as his now thoroughly annoyed fiancé. He doesn't want to mention that he agreed with Draco that Harry deserved a really special wedding. Though, he probably wouldn't go as elaborate as Draco would.

"You've already asked him to plan it, so I don't know why you're being all—" He waves a hand, "whiny. If it makes you feel any better, it'll be fancy as he can make it but small." Private, he thinks, knowing Harry would enjoy that part the most.

Harry angles his head to peek at Jake from the corner of his eye and huffs. "Slightly." A slow smile spreads across his face a moment later making Jake slightly nervous. "I'm going to make him dress you in wizarding robes." He sits up and leans back to slowly look Jake over, his gaze nearly a physical weight as they roam Jake's body. "Even though you'd be positively mouth watering in a Muggle suit."

Jake watches Harry's eyes dilate and grins; he does look pretty good in a suit. He hasn't had to wear one very often but he can really rock one when he did. He really doesn't want to wear those weird robe things that he's seen wizards wearing but he'd do anything for Harry.

"I'll wear whatever you want." Harry beams at him. "Fuck," he breathes, feeling dazed by such a smile. "I'll even go naked."

"Oh no," Harry says with a frown and grabs Jake's cock gently, but firmly. "Only I get to see this," he smirks and kisses Jake, swiping his thumb over the slick head. "I kinda said Draco and Joe could double with us," he murmurs against Jake's lips after a moment.

Jake blinks. "What? Why?" Before Harry can answer he hurries to add, "Not that I mind, I'm just wondering."

Harry looks down, frowning slightly that his grip on Jake isn't distracting enough. He considers moving his hand slowly but figures a chat would be good before they got too worked up to do anything but rut and pant. "I figured it would be easier all around. He doesn't have many people to invite. I already asked and he was rather touched by the idea and agreed. Is that alright?"

Jake tries to do or say something touching and caring but his brain is being short circuited by Harry's thumb sliding over his cock, so he just nods with a grunt. Later, when he thinks about it, he'll be touched by Harry's thoughtfulness but right now he just wants to be _touched_. By Harry, the little tease. "Guh."

"Eloquent as ever, love," Harry grins and shifts his grip, tickling his pinky along Jake's balls lightly. "Last question and then you can shag me senseless." He pauses until Jake nods vigorously. "Date?"

It takes Jake a minute to work through what he means. "When is everyone planning on leaving?" he ask, panting lightly.

"Remus, Nigel and Teddy are here another few weeks. Everyone else, no clue," Harry murmurs before licking his palm and immediately returning his attentions to Jake's cock. "They'll come back, I'm sure."

He's prepared for the pleased grunt Jake makes but not so much for when Jake pins him to the bed, easily holding both of Harry's wrists in one hand. "Later, just—" He arches up into Jake with a soft moan. "Just, god Jake, just get to it already." His words trail off as Jake's other hand, already wet with lube—when did he reach for that?—circles and breaches him a moment later. "Oh fuck, go faster… yes!" he gasps when Jake's pace picks up and there are suddenly more fingers pressing in.

Jake's gaze is on his fingers but his attention is still trying to focus on their conversation. "You wanted a fall ceremony right?" Harry nods. "Good, how does September—" He pauses to slide his fingers out of Harry and shifts so he's sitting back on his heels and easily lifts and drapes Harry's thighs over his own but he doesn't move to slide into him yet. "Oh fuck," he mutters when Harry shimmies and scoots closer, obviously impatient for Jake to be in him.

He's not sure how he keeps forgetting how agile and strong Harry can be. "Twenty first?"

"Whatever!" Harry says impatiently. "Jake—" he starts but ends in a long moan when Jake finally eases into him. He can't be arsed to move anymore, happy to let Jake move and shift him as he wants while he slowly slides in and out of him.

Impatience gone, Jake moves slow and thorough. He leans down, grabbing at one of Harry's hands tightly while the other wraps behind his neck to press him close as he kisses him slow and deep.

Harry sighs into the kiss, feeling his toes curl with utter bliss as Jake's movements spark pleasure and contentment through him. "Jake," he sighs, grabbing at Jake's hair to keep him pressed close. It's not long at all before he feels everything start to clench and coil wonderfully as he approaches orgasm. He grabs onto Jake and squeezes around Jake's cock, hoping to make him come first.

Jake's hips stutter and he groans, used to Harry's tricks but still unable to stop his orgasm from crashing through him a moment later. He'd hate when Harry did that but it's always amazing to feel the different slickness sliding against him as he strokes Harry to completion, able to watch with no distractions as he comes undone with a loud cry.

He shivers when Harry's magic tingles over his hand and belly, cleaning them. So much better than tissues, he thinks as he eases himself down on top of a boneless, panting Harry. "I hate when you do that," he mumbles against Harry's neck.

Harry snickers and clenches around Jake again. "No you don't."

Jake moans and bites Harry's shoulder gently. He grins when Harry shivers and his arms tighten their hold on Jake. "No, not really."

He yawns and smiles at an already half asleep Harry. He knows he should pull out and finish cleaning up, but he is already fighting to keep his eyes open and Harry didn't seem in any hurry either and is losing the battle to stay awake faster than he is.

"Harry," Jake mumbles but gets no response. He shifts, grimacing slightly at the loss of warmth surrounding him and the soft squelching sound. He shrugs and just pulls Harry closer, smiling softly when he nuzzles closer with a sleepy sigh. A long thorough bath will sort them out, he thinks right before falling asleep with a smile on his face.

~oOo~

Harry bounces into the kitchen, focused only on his happy mood and the prospect of his morning cup of tea.

Draco looks up from the parchment he's writing on and grins at Harry. "That's disgusting," he teases. Harry only grins at him and flips him off before going about the routine for making tea.

After settling down with a steaming mug, Harry cocks an eyebrow at the numerous pieces of parchment scattered on the table. The other eyebrow rises when he sees Draco using a Muggle pen. He'd long ago embraced the handy little devices and wisely ignores Draco's casual use. For now.

"What's all this?"

Draco sorts the papers and clicks the end of the pen a few times. "Wedding invites," he says slowly before raising his own eyebrow at a now broadly grinning Harry. "What?"

"How are you sending invites if there isn't a date set?"

Draco sniffs and shoves one at Harry. "I haven't added that bit yet, have I?" Harry notes the blank spaces and smiles. "Is there one yet?"

Harry glances back at the paper in his hand and sneers at the name at the top. "Must you invite Nott?" He never got on with the former Slytherin and the bastard never bothered to get on with him. "I didn't even think you were still mates with him."

Draco shrugs and snatches the parchment back. "Yes, I must. He won't come; I just want the obligatory 'sorry-I-can't-come-here's-a-ridiculously-expensive-gift' gift from him. So, date?" he asks, his hand hovering over the parchment with his pen ready.

"September twenty-first."

Draco nods and writes quickly, but elegantly, on each of the invitations.

Harry glances at the others, unsurprised by any of the names on them. Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Draco's mum were all probably going to go the same route as Nott. He finds himself wishing they'd actually show up, only for Draco's sake.

He wiggles one of the parchments, spinning it slightly under his finger as he debates asking the question currently on his mind. "Not inviting your father?" he blurts out, noting the invite for Draco's mum was only addressed to her, and wants to slap himself.

Draco shrugs, truly uncaring. He feels a little sad about it, and he's quite sure his mother won't come without Lucius but he can't _not_ invite her. "No. There is no way he'll come and I don't even want him to have to bother with a gift." He stops writing and rests his chin on his palm, giving Harry a fond look for a moment. "You alright if I send one to Goyle?"

"Yeah, sure, mate," Harry nods. "We get on fine now that he's dropped his 'I'm-A-Big-Stupid-Scary-Thug' act." He grins and pokes Draco in the shoulder. "He didn't have much choice in the matter when I caught you two blubbering all over each other watching Steel Magnolias. With Luna."

Draco sniffs and lifts his chin. "Shut up," he says with pink cheeks. "You tell me what person, with a soul, can watch that and _not_ cry?" He won't admit he had been sniffling since the middle of the movie. Or his secret crush on the dying woman's husband.

Harry could only shrug. He had bawled like a baby too when Draco made him watch it. "Point," he says and then grins, "it was still funny to see. So, do you think he'll come?" he says to change the subject.

Draco shrugs again, but his expression is hopeful. "I don't know. It would be nice to see him. Apart from Blaise and Pansy, he's the only person I miss," he admits quietly. He feels a stab of guilt; he was one of the few people that still talked to Goyle after the war. He really should have owled him sooner.

"Well," Harry rubs Draco's forearm briefly to comfort him. "They're welcome, as long as they can behave."

Draco laughs and waves a hand at Harry. "They're right bastards on a good day but you know they are sincerely friends with you now. Not sure about Looney..." he trials off and bites his lip. "Well, I'll add a post script in warning, demanding their best behavior, yeah?" At Harry's nod, he cocks his head slightly. "Why the twenty-first, by the way?"

Harry blushes, remembering the conversation vividly. "Not sure. Jake picked it... I, erm, didn't care," he mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck and his shoulder. "I wanted a fall ceremony and didn't want to wait all that long. Is that alright?"

"Of course," Draco says, pausing momentarily to wonder at Harry's blush and awkward rubbing and he snorts. "I don't mind overly. So, now that a date is set," he says as he rolls the invitations and ties them with a Slytherin green silk ribbon. He whistles for Mortimer and hands the bundle to the bird before giving him a brief but fond scritch on his chest feathers before sending him off. "There's much to plan." Draco finishes as he sits back down with a smirk. "Colors?"

"Huh?"

Draco rolls his eyes. "What colors do you want for everything?"

"Erm." Harry pauses. Surely Draco would hex him if he asks for scarlet and gold. He grins and doesn't even get to open his mouth before being glared at, as if Draco knows exactly what he's thinking. Git probably did. "Silver?" he says instead.

"And?"

"...Black?"

Draco rolls his eyes again at Harry's complete lack of knowledge and style. "You've accidentally stumbled onto a classic color scheme," he accuses.

Harry laughs. "I stumble into great things by accident all the time."

"Stupid Gryffindor," Draco mumbles and pulls out another parchment. "Wedding party?" At Harry's blank stare, he groans and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Best man and all that rubbish."

"Oh!" Harry smiles and leans forward to pinch Draco's cheek. "Our best mates are getting married right next to us, so maybe we'll forgo that little tradition, yeah?"

Draco rubs his cheek and scowls at Harry, secretly pleased and flushing with warmth at the statement. "Fine. We'll leave that open for now." He taps the pen against his chin as he looks up to think. "Ah! Location?"

"Here." Harry spreads his hands and turns around in his chair. At Draco's sneer, he laughs. "Not the kitchen, you git. I mean at the house." He points to the nearest window. "Outside." He doesn't care what the weather will be like; heating charms can easily be used since he doesn't think they'll have any muggles about.

Draco nods and muses it over, looking around. "It'll do. We'll have to rearrange some things and get a crew in to clean..." he trails off muttering and making notes. "AH!" he yells and jumps up from the table and runs from the room only to rush back in with his arms full of magazines.

He dumps them on the table and shoves some towards Harry. "Look for understated yet elegant centerpieces," he instructs before snatching the magazines back just as Harry goes to open one. "On second thought—" He smirks. "Never mind. You, find a bonding wizard. And the nearest robe shop." When Harry just sits there in stunned silence, he waves his hands at Harry. "Shoo! Go! NOW."

Harry jumps up and nearly slops hot tea all over himself in his haste. "Alright! Geez," he mutters, unaware he's used one of Seth's favorite words. "Any other demands?" He nearly bows but knows Draco probably won't see it for the sarcastic move he intends.

Draco looks up with a glare before he smirks. "Yes, find a decent caterer. I refuse to have a buffet, for the record. Only a gourmet, sit down service. Got it?" He thumbs through a magazine for a moment before glancing back up. "Oh, and no shellfish or seafood." He shudders lightly. "And if they don't employ a bartender, get one of those, as well."

Harry nods dumbly and backs out of the room, cursing himself for asking such a stupid question and getting more work piled on himself. He bumps into Joe and whirls around. "Save me!" he cries and grabs his shirt. If anyone can rein Draco in, it'll be Joe. He looks over his shoulder at the insane blond and whispers, "Please."

Joe laughs and looks around Harry to see Draco hunched over a pile of magazines, muttering to himself and furiously making notes. "What's going on?"

Harry groans and lets go of Joe's shirt, smoothing it slightly as he slumps against the wall looking miserable and annoyed. "I opened my big mouth about the wedding and now he's..." he swallows thickly, "planning."

Joe's gaze darts back to Harry and he smiles. "Really? Wait—" He holds up a hand. "Whose wedding?"

"Ours," Harry says waving a hand between himself and Joe. "We're doing a double thing," he clarifies, even though there's no way Joe can mistake his meaning. He's suddenly nervous, realizing Joe probably didn't know that before now. He feels like a right arse for blurting it out now.

Joe nods dumbly for a moment and hugs Harry before he can stop himself. He's not altogether sure why Harry would do such a thing for him and Draco but he's insanely grateful nonetheless. "Thanks," he says thickly once he lets Harry go. "I was worried..." he trails off, looking at Draco and sighs. "I hated the thought of there being no one there for us."

Harry nods and pats Joe's shoulder. "Well, we're all a bit light on guest lists, so." He shrugs and grins. "He's already sent out invitations." He can't help but look annoyed and Joe laughs quietly.

"Not happy about some of the guests?" Joe guesses.

Harry snorts. "You could say that, but I've been assured that one particular arse won't bother coming so I won't let it bother me," he says and shoots a nervous glance at Draco. "Right, I better go before he yells at me again." He heads upstairs, intent on dragging Jake along. He was _not_ going to suffer alone. He pauses halfway up and turns back to Joe. "I'd only go in there if you want a job to do."

Joe grins and shoves his hands in his back pockets as he bounces on his toes. "I'll give him a job." He laughs at Harry's dubious expression—Harry knows Draco well enough to know that _nothing_ will distract him—and turns with a wave and heads into the kitchen.

When Harry hears a muffled indignant howl from Draco he grins and continues up the stairs, humming happily.


	12. Chapter 12

Pansy Parkinson flips her hair behind her shoulder as she sits at her writing desk, her dark eyes flicking between the two missives that have been lying there all week. She's read both numerous times.

She's torn between amusement, happiness and disdain as she looks down at the papers.

One is a sheet of muggle paper; thin and flimsy. She rubs a finger along it with a look of mild disgust on her face. It's entirely filled with Draco's tight, neat script. She'd been pleasantly surprised to get the letter and even more surprised when she read about everything that's happened in the months—yes, months! She's going to hex that blonde bastard the next she saw him—since they've last spoken or seen each other.

She smiles to herself; she can still feel his excitement and happiness as she read it. She looks at the floo address and grins. Maybe she should pay him a visit? She really didn't want to wait another month or so until the wedding and really, would he give his address if he hadn't intended her to visit? A small sneer crosses her face when she realizes she'll be stuck with Potter in the same house but it was surely big enough to avoid him easily.

The other is a sheet of parchment; she wants to sneer at the lack of ornate paper of the invitation but it pleases her to no end to read it anyway. Draco wrote it out himself. Even if his writing was neat and elegant, it just isn't done! She'd be horrified if she wasn't used to the fact that Draco had slowly began losing his gobstones the day he befriended Potter.

Draco is getting married! Since she is safely in her own rooms, she indulges in a girly squeal, complete with foot stamping and waving hands.

To an American, apparently, if the strange surname, and address of the wedding ceremony, is any indicator. She taps a bright pink manicured nail on the paper and wonders how wealthy he is. He must be rather well off if he's been able to woo and engage Draco in a matter of months. She smirks; leave it to her Draco to find an American wizard _and_ find a way to ensnare him so quickly and completely.

She sorts the letters and places them back in her desk, locking the drawer with a strong locking charm. No sense in risking her nosy parents finding it.

She'd already flooed Blaise and Goyle, both having received a letter and invitation as well. Neither were able to go with her at the moment to visit but both expressed the same enthusiasm for attending the wedding; sharing an amused chuckle at the note about Lovegood. Goyle, Merlin bless him, seemed extraordinarily excited with the news, much to Pansy's confusion. Since when did he look forward to seeing anyone?

She rolls her eyes; really, as if she was going to suddenly stop being herself and become best friends with the weirdo. Draco has lost more than a few gobstones if he thought _that_ was going to happen.

Pansy calls a house elf, directing him—or was it a her? She could never tell—to fetch her cloak. The elf pops off with a bow and Pansy makes her way to the floo, carefully grabbing enough of the sparkling powder for the international trip. As soon as Fippy pops in with her cloak, Pansy tosses the powder in and shouts out "Spoons Mansion".

Honestly. Who allows a _child_ to address the floo? She rolls her eyes when she immediately connects. Either Draco had her connected or that fool Potter didn't bother to ward his floo. It was hard to guess which.

She steps in and closes her eyes as she whooshes though. Merlin, she hates flooing. It makes her queasy and gets her all dirty. She lands with a soft grunt and subtly casts a cleaning charm to rid herself of the ash and soot. She stops when she looks up and sees the room she has landed in.

Well. This is interesting.

The room is huge, bright and airy. She looks around, admiring the décor, sure that Draco was responsible for the tasteful look. Her eyes widen slightly when she finally notices the room is full of people, mostly strange people.

She hides her surprise when she sees Lovegood lounging on a small sofa on top of Hermione Granger, both looking very comfortable. Well, that's very interesting. Longbottom is giving moon eyes to a dark haired girl, who's currently glaring her face off at Pansy and stroking a large black kitten. She spots a strange dark haired boy sitting with Teddy Lupin, both holding strange things that they are clicking with their thumbs as they shout and bounce around on the sofa as they stare at a large moving picture.

Seth pauses the video game when he senses something change in the room and ignores Teddy's protests in favor of staring at the strange girl standing in front of the fireplace. He frowns only for a second; he hadn't heard the whooshing sound. Everyone else is only staring at the new comer—Harry's friends with a touch of shock and dislike.

"Um," he finally says when he notices the girl just standing in the same spot, staring around the room. "Who are you?" He blinks when the girl—no, the sexy ass woman, he thinks with an internal grin—looks at him with a slight sneer on her pretty face, her nose raised daintily. "Oh, you gotta be a friend of Draco's," he says with a happy laugh before she can answer.

He doesn't bother to hide his slow perusal of her; she's definitely dressed like someone with money and she's wearing one of those wizarding robe things. The fabric looks expensive and Seth really has to control himself from running over and touching it; she looks like the kind of witch that won't hesitate to do unspeakable things to his reproductive parts.

Pansy allows a small frown at the statement and lifts her chin a little more. "Yes, I am a friend of Draco's." She looks around, completely ignoring Seth's continued staring. "Is he about?"

Seth doesn't answer, instead he leans over and stage whispers to Hermione, "Geez, are all your friends hot?"

Hermione pauses, seeming to actually think the answer through. Luna chuckles, well aware that Hermione is indeed going through a mental list of their friends. "I suppose so," Hermione finally answers. She's not sure if she should mention that Pansy is not a friend of hers, but Seth is too busy checking Pansy out she doesn't bother. He's even put down the video game controller.

Pansy clears her throat, annoyed at being ignored. Before she can stamp her foot in irritation at them she catches a blur of white blonde and spins, her gaze immediately landing on Draco. Her mouth drops open as he steps in the room, one hand wrapped around a mug of tea and the other wrapped around the waist of a tall, dark, handsome man.

She's shocked to see him wearing _Muggle_ clothes and barefoot. His hair is loose and hanging down over one side of his face, nearly hiding one of his silver-grey eyes. His entire appearance is what makes her mouth gape open and a shocked, horrified squeak that isn't heard by the humans to come out of her mouth. Pansy's eyes go wide when she sees the man looking at Draco with affection, adoration and a little lust as he holds him possessively.

"Draco!" she screeches.

Draco's head whips around and his fingers go slack around his mug—only Joe's quick grab saves him from spilling it on himself, a broken mug, and some nasty burns—and he beams a smile and yells out "Pans!" as he runs across the room to scoop the shocked witch up into a hug. He doesn't care if it's undignified; he's missed her!

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing here?" he says happily, still smiling, as he sets her back onto her feet.

Pansy blinks, still shocked at Draco's actions. Really! Smiling. Yelling. _Hugging_. She nearly glares at the tall man approaching slowly, sure this is all his doing but she's smart enough to realize it's obviously Potter's fault. Must be.

"Draco, darling," she coos and runs a hand down her robes in an attempt to smooth the wrinkles Draco's rash show of affection put into her clothes. "Must I need a reason to visit a dear friend? Aren't I welcome?"

"Of course you're welcome!" Draco nods and grabs Joe's wrist when he starts to back away. "I just didn't know you were coming." He looks around, finally realizing the situation Pansy has put herself in. He snickers to himself. "Plenty of room, of course."

He jerks on Joe's wrist, stalling Joe's second escape attempt. "Pansy, this is Joe Riverstone, my fiancé," he breathes the last word as he pulls Joe flush against him. Joe's arm immediately wrapping around his waist. Pansy nearly goggles when Draco looks up and gives him a sappy smile that has his whole face lighting up. "Joe, this is Pansy," he waves a hand at Pansy, his attention returning to her slowly.

"My fiancé," Draco says again with a grin that turns into a smug little smirk when he raises his hand practically under Pansy's nose to show off his ring.

"Oh! It's positively gorgeous, Draco!" Pansy gushes and grabs his hand, twisting it this way and that to let the light glint and shine off the polished metal and diamonds. "Good choice, darling." Draco makes some gross noise that sounds like a lovesick sigh which makes Pansy raise an eyebrow at her friend. "Alright there, darling?"

Draco sighs happily again. "I didn't pick it, Joe did. Isn't it just perfect?" He pins Joe with another glare when he tries to back away. _Again_. "Stay," he mutters. He turns back to Pansy, "Why, yes, I'm doing wonderfully." He gives her a mock glare, "You obviously got my letters, so why ask?"

Pansy blinks at Draco again. What in the— "You're rather freaking me out, Draco darling," she admits after another long moment of watching Draco openly ogle Joe. Honestly; she could understand the desire to. The man is gorgeous. But one doesn't go around giving lusty looks and dopey grins where other people can see!

She takes a step back when Draco's hand slides down Joe's back and, obviously, lands on his arse. She aims a glare at Joe, appalled he hasn't stopped Draco's highly inappropriate actions.

"Huh?"

"See?!" she nearly yells and points an accusatory finger at Draco, "That right there! _You_ don't say 'huh'! And really, the last time I saw you smile like that was… your 7th birthday party." She crosses her arms and lifts her chin, daring him to contradict her.

Joe glares at the strange witch. He isn't all that thrilled when she kept calling his Draco 'darling' but this is just too much. "Don't you like seeing him happy?" he asks lowly and barely stops himself from advancing on the girl.

He's never heard of something so stupid to be freaked out about in his life. Who worries when someone is _happy_? He looks at Draco; yes, his blonde is smiling openly and his hand is making very inappropriate motions on his ass but he doesn't really see any cause for alarm or upset. He enjoys the openness that Draco's allowed himself over the months.

Pansy flips her hair and cocks a hip, resting a hand on it. "Of course I do. It's just... strange." She waves a hand at him dismissively, ignoring an irritated glare from the tall man.

Joe scowls and crosses his arms and decides to ignore Pansy while Draco glares at his friend.

"Oh, stuff it Pans," Draco says, a grin popping onto his face when she shoots him an affronted look. "I'm happy," he says with a careless shrug. "And yes, these American savages just might have completely dumbed me down."

He snorts a laugh when Seth hollers an indignant ' _hey!_ ' from the couch. He shrugs, smirking again at her horrified look at such an action.

"As Seth would say, I've removed the stick from my ass." He exaggerates a stretch and bends over to touch his toes—well aware of Joe's heated gaze on his arse as he does—as if to show off his ability to do so and grins at his friend. "Feels good, Pansy."

Pansy crosses her arms and glares at Draco for a long moment. Proper etiquette is not having a stick in one's arse, but she doesn't see the point in arguing it at the moment. "This will take some getting used to," she finally mutters with a slight eye roll. "Fine. Introduce me, darling."

Draco chuckles and crooks an arm, smiling when Pansy wraps hers around it a moment later. "I dare say you've made your own impressions, but let's start here." He makes his way over to Billy. "This is Jacob's father, Billy Black."

He squeezes Pansy's arm, hoping she gets the message to behave herself and be respectful. Pansy might know what a Muggle wheelchair is and he really doesn't want her to say anything horrid to the man.

Billy leans forward and offers his hand. When Pansy just looks at it blankly, he leans over further and takes her free hand and shakes it for her with both of his. "Nice to meet you. Pansy, is it?"

Pansy inclines her head. "Parkinson," she adds with a small smile. "Which one of you is Jacob?" she asks, looking around the room.

Seth answers, jumping up from the couch and sidling over to stand close to Pansy. "He's not here. Probably upstairs with Harry," he says with a leering grin, much to her confusion. He bows and grabs her hand, kissing the back of it. "I'm Seth, Seth Clearwater," he drawls, feeling immensely pleased with himself that he was able to do it just like Draco. "So. You single?"

Pansy blinks at Seth and looks to Draco, when he laughs and shrugs, she turns back to the tall young man and removes her hand from his. "I am." She looks him over, slightly annoyed he's completely comfortable with the scrutiny. Preening even, the little over-confident bastard. "Probably shall stay that way, as well."

Seth pouts and places a hand over his heart, feigning pain. "Ouch." He's back to grinning a second later, stepping closer and looking at her closely. Maybe he'll get lucky and get a hot witch as his imprint. Pansy just gives him an icy glare and turns her head with a flip of her hair. Maybe not.

He sniffs, inhaling deeply, not at all trying to hide the action. Oh, she smells good. He raises his hand with a dopey smile when Draco raises an eyebrow at him and jerks his chin in a 'back off' gesture.

Draco rolls his eyes and pushes Seth to the side and leads Pansy over to a glaring Leah. Pansy shifts subtly, feeling uncomfortable under the hard look. Who is this scruffy little girl to make her feel uncomfortable? She fixes a glare on her face and is surprised when the other girl just smirks at her. Cheeky! The lot of them!

Draco chuckles and waves a hand at Leah. "This is Leah Clearwater." He points to the kitten on her lap, "And that's Leo. He'll probably claw your pretty silk robes if you aren't nice to Leah." He chuckles when Leo makes a laughing sound and scritches him under his chin. "And she'd deserve it, won't she?" he coos at the purring black kitten, ignoring Pansy's incredulous stare.

Leah snorts and rubs Leo's head, making the kitten purr even louder. "True, but I don't need an attack cat to fuck a bitch up," she says with a raised eyebrow but an otherwise blank face and nearly laughs when Pansy's eyes widen slightly. If this girl is like Draco, she certainly looks high class and snooty, she knows that might as well have been a screaming fit.

She looks Pansy over and decides they might get along, _if_ she can drop her attitude. "By the way, that's my brother," Leah says jerking her chin at Seth. "Feel free to emasculate him in every way imaginable."

Pansy laughs and covers her mouth a moment later, shocked and embarrassed she'd allowed herself to do so. She really hadn't expected that, she expected the usual big sister diatribe: don't hurt my brother, blah blah blah. She could see love and protectiveness there but also an understanding that her brother could handle himself and deal with whatever consequences his actions brought.

Pansy nods stiffly, "I'll keep that in mind." She glances over at Seth, expecting him to be shocked or offended but he's grinning widely, waggling his eyebrows at her and then he winks at her. _Winks_! The cheek!

"Draco, dear, you've a most interesting group of friends," she murmurs quietly.

Draco grins. "You don't know the half of it," he says cryptically. "Now, everyone else you already know." He says waving around the room indicating Neville, Hermione and Luna. "Be nice, I can't promise it'll be tolerated for long if you don't," he says quietly.

The entire pack is very fond of all of Harry's friends and he wouldn't be able to speak up for Pansy if she pissed any of them off with her usual disrespectful ways. "If you can't be nice, ignore. Alright?" He's relieved Remus and Nigel are out, unsure if he would be able to tolerate Pansy's reaction at the moment. He makes a mental note to tell her later, alone, so she doesn't completely over-react in her surprise.

Pansy just looks at Draco, unsure how to respond. Is he really telling her to be nice to Gryffindors and Looney? She nearly snorts; like Potter is going to throw her out of his home. He is way too soft-hearted to do such a thing. "But—"

"I'm serious, Pans. You're a guest, so please use that high class training for good, yeah?" he grins. "If you actually try, you might find them worth spending time with," he says with a knowing smile.

Luna is smart, being in Ravenclaw is proof of that, and he found himself enjoying talking with her when she wasn't in her dozy moods about invisible creatures and the like. He tried not to be surprised when he found himself enjoying even Neville's company. He snorts a quiet laugh at the memory of the poor man's face the first time he'd called him 'Neville' instead of his usual 'Longbottom'. It would probably amuse him for years, most likely.

Pansy huffs, now convinced Draco is truly insane, but forces a small smile on her face. "Alright, darling. Fine. I'll be… nice."

She looks to the sofa at each of the people in turn and nods in greeting to them, earning small smiles back from them. Well, this could now be a very horrible visit; she hadn't believed Draco when he said he was living with a bunch of Gryffindors and Looney. Potter is bad enough but all of them? Merlin help her.

She turns and glares when Seth sidles up alongside her again. "Yes?"

Seth bounces on the balls of his feet for a moment and grins at her. "You stayin' here?"

Pansy blinks and looks to Draco. "Of course," she says but raises her voice slightly at the end making it almost a question.

Draco taps his chin in thought. "Yeah, I think we can squeeze you in."

She frowns slightly when she realizes he's not teasing or joking. They really will have to squeeze her in. She leans in so she can whisper, unaware it's a futile effort in a room full of werewolves. "I refuse to share a room with Lovegood or Granger," she hisses.

She ignores the dirty looks she gets from everyone, sure they hadn't heard her. Maybe they're just jealous of her close relationship with Draco. He offered her a place in his home so easily, she thinks with a small smug smirk. She glares at Draco when he starts to laugh at her.

"I'm sure they wouldn't want to share with you either," Draco says with a snicker, not even bothering to lower his voice. He pats her arm at her heated glare, "Don't fret, you'll wrinkle. We'll find space." He leans around Pansy slightly to talk to Seth. "Grab that massive trunk, yeah?"

Seth hops up and picks up the trunk, flexing his muscles when Pansy stares at him. Yeah, it's heavy but not overly so. He wonders why Pansy hadn't shrunk or lightened her trunk; he would have. He certainly wasn't going to ask her or Draco to do it now.

He grins when Pansy huffs and looks away; oh well, he was hoping for a blush or a girly giggle at his manly show of strength but he's hoping an annoyed huff was this chick's way of doing either of those things. He follows behind Draco, eagerly listening to their conversation as Draco heads down the hall to the empty den.

His steps falter slightly when there is mention of more wizards coming but he pushes it aside for now. Best not to worry about something until you need to.

"Draco, darling," Pansy says looking around the empty room with an expression caught between annoyance and horror. "You will sort this out, yes?" At least the walls are paneled in a warm light wood. She glares at the otherwise bare walls.

Draco rolls his eyes. "Seth." He points to a corner and Seth hurries over to carefully place the trunk where he's pointing. Seth sits on top of it and leans back on his hands, shamelessly flexing again and peeking at Pansy, ignoring Draco's highly amused snickering. "Anyway," Draco says with a sigh and turns back Pansy, "help yourself."

"Pardon?"

Draco waves a hand around the room. "Help yourself, pop in whatever you want. I don't care."

"You're joking," Pansy mutters, offended. "I'm a _guest_ ; I shouldn't have to sort my own room out." She huffs and crosses her arms.

She blinks and steps back when Seth jumps up and stands close to her again. "What?" she hisses, getting annoyed with the forward young man. She really is no stranger to amorous attention from males before but few, if any, ever kept at it so diligently or stood so close in her personal space. It's annoying.

"I'll help you move sh—stuff around," Seth says anbd takes another opportunity to flex his muscles, keenly watching Pansy for a reaction. He grins widely when Pansy's eyes dilate slightly and her cheeks pink slightly. Yes! He knew she wasn't able to resist.

"Down boy," Draco says with a laugh, puts a hand on Seth's chest and pushes lightly until he takes a few steps back.

He pats Pans' shoulder, "I'm only saying that so you'll have it exactly how you want it." He hopes appealing to her vanity and affinity for décor will help him escape without having to actually _do_ anything. He really has no interest in hearing Pansy bitch and whine about everything he would pick to furnish the room. She claims to love his sense of style and taste but the witch never left a single room she stayed in untouched. He shudders when he remembers the puce bed hangings in fifth year.

"Oh," Pansy says slowly uncrossing her arms and reaches for her wand. Her eyes flick to Seth before looking back at Draco. "I assume they know..." she trails off, hoping Draco knows what she means.

Draco waves a hand at her, suppressing a snicker, "Of course they know. So, go on," he says with a smile. "I will help and put up the door." He laughs when Pansy glares at him. "I am a gentleman after all." He heads out of the room and turns back after he conjures a door, making sure it's heavy and ornate with a slight roll of his eyes. "Seth, behave. Pansy, feel free to hex him if he's too much," he offers and grins. "I'll get some tea on, come on out when you're set, yeah?"

Pansy nods distractedly, already focusing on how to decorate the space. She carefully waves her wand around for nearly a solid 10 minutes. By the time she's done she's got a large, comfortable bed, covered in dark purple silk sheets. She pointedly ignores Seth's wiggling eyebrows when he flops on it after he's moved it for the seventh time. Matching fabrics are on the windows for curtains. As well as a large, ornate ebony wood dresser and matching desk. The rug was fine but she changed it to a dark honey brown instead of the beige it was. Who picks _beige_?

She puts Seth to work, secretly enjoying watching him moving the bed and dresser around numerous times. He doesn't complain once, or recommend she just use her magic, just nods with a happy grin and follows her every order with a cheeky little salute. She looks around with a small smile and sighs. It isn't as lavishly decorated as she's used to but it'll do.

"Thank you," she says quietly, hoping Seth didn't hear but it was impolite not to at least say it.

Seth smiles and bows at the waist, being only slightly cheeky with the action. "You are welcome. Any friend of Draco's is a friend of mine," he says happily. "I'm gonna go. Teddy's probably climbing the walls, ready to finish the game. See ya!" And just like that, he's gone and Pansy is left feeling strangely alone in the now quiet room.

She walks over and sits on the bed, absently waving her wand for the unpacking charm and just sits back and watches her clothes and other items float out and sort themselves into the appropriate spots.

She finds herself curious about the rest of the house, so she tucks her wand away and heads out in a random direction, not really caring where she ends up. It isn't her fault Draco overlooked giving her a tour. She wanders the lower floor, her hands trailing the textured wallpaper. Eventually she winds up back in the same large sitting room. She peeks in and sees it's still full of people, but still no Potter or his mysterious Jacob. She ducks back out with a small scowl and heads down the hallway again and finally comes to the kitchen. She just stands there, staring in shock as she watches Draco. He's making his own tea. And _humming_.

"Draco," she murmurs, hoping to distract him enough to cease the humming but not enough to startle and burn himself. She frowns when he turns with a smile and waves a hand at the table, inviting her to sit. "Please tell me the house elves are off shopping or something," she mutters when he brings two cups to the table and a plate full of biscuits.

Draco laughs and sighs. "No, no house elves, I'm afraid. We're amongst Muggles, Pansy. Can't exactly have an army of house elves running about."

"That sounds like Potter, not you," she says snidely and reaches for a chocolate chip biscuit. After she takes a bite she hums with pleasure, "Oh, these are wonderful!" she says and pops the rest in her mouth, brushing crumbs primly off her lap.

"True, but I agreed," Draco says in answer to the first comment. "Besides, after looking around, I dare say Americans don't have house elves." He nods knowingly at her horrified expression. "And I'll let Harry know you like his cookies."

"Cookies?" she gasps, nearly choking herself with biscuit crumbs. "What— Draco! You've really got to stop this nonsense! I can barely recognize you."

Draco snickers and raises an eyebrow at her, "Don't exaggerate Pans. I'm still me. Just—" he grins and spreads his hands out in front of himself, "Less of an 'asshat', as Seth puts it." At Pansy's offended look he snickers. "It's true, even you've called me a right arse or a massive twat a time or two. You can't sit there and tell me I'm not more pleasant. And sexy," he says as he twitches his head sharply so his fringe sweeps out of his eyes.

He chuckles when she blushes slightly and slaps his arm. He'll probably tease her about her fourth year crush on him until she dies. He had almost felt bad telling her he was a raging pouf and to move along. Almost.

"Anyway," he says blowing on his tea and taking a sip, "I quite like some of the words they use. It's rather difficult not to absorb them after awhile." He grins. "It goes both ways. It's rather amusing to hear Seth say 'bullocks' and such." He's eagerly awaiting the day Seth tries speaking with a similar accent.

Pansy hums in though and nibbles on another biscuit. "Well, consider this my notice that I shan't be staying long enough to _absorb_ anything." She says with a slight sneer. She laughs a moment later when Draco glares at her. "Oh, do calm down darling. I'm not knocking your new home." She pauses and places a hand on his arm. "You are staying here, aren't you?"

She's knows he's aware she means in the country and not the house elf-less massive home. She resigned herself to losing Draco to this foreign country and an unknown wizard when she read his letter but it still made her a little sad.

Draco nods with a dopey smile. "For awhile, at least. I fully intend to drag my new husband on a worldwide honeymoon, but I'm sure we'll come back here." He pauses, chewing the inside of his lip in thought. He doesn't really know, though. He doubts Joe will want to leave the pack, especially now with all the upheaval and drama. "Honestly, I don't really care where I am. As long as he's there, so am I."

Pansy can't stop the sigh; Draco sounds like such a romantic fool. In a good way. She smiles at her friend and shakes her head slightly. "Well, I'm getting used to this weird new version of you but I have to say I'm positively thrilled for you." She squeezes his hand briefly. "Joe," she sits back and winks at Draco, "is absolutely gorgeous. How in Merlin's name did you get him?" She laughs at his offended expression, "Don't misunderstand me, darling, I don't mean to offend. Is it better if I rephrase it as to 'how did you manage to find such a specimen in this manky little town'?"

Draco sticks his tongue out at Pansy before grinning like a fool again. "Just got lucky, Pansy. Sticking with the Golden Git really comes in handy for stuff like that."

As if on cue, Harry enters the kitchen with a loud "Oi!" but comes to a stop when he sees Pansy sitting at the table, making Jake run into his back with a muffled noise of surprise. "Sorry, love," he mumbles, his gaze still on Pansy. He looks to Draco and only gets an apologetic shrug in answer.

Pansy's eyes widen at the pair, her gaze landing on the very large, very sexy man plastered comfortably along Potter's back. His hands are resting comfortably on Potter's hips and he's resting his chin on the top of Potter's head as he looks at her with curiosity.

She's barely able to bite back the exclamation of surprise, or one of resounding approval, but it's a near thing.

"Hello, Potter," she says dismissively. She frowns when the tall man behind Potter glares at her, his eyes narrowed and immediately full of hostility. She leans towards Draco and quietly asks "Who's behind Potter?" She doesn't ask why he's giving her the stink eye, working out for herself that he must be Potter's boyfriend. Oh. No, wait, fiancé. Great; not even seconds into meeting the tall, gorgeous man and he's already looking at her like she is something he stepped in.

"Pansy, Jacob Black."

Draco hides a grin behind his mug. He did warn Pansy, it isn't his fault if she's going to ignore him and be a bitch. She'd either learn or be kicked out. Jake already looks willing to do just that. He doesn't want her kicked out but he certainly wouldn't stop Jake or Harry—or any of them, really—from doing it either. At this point, he's more attached to any of the pack than he is to Pansy. It is a surprising realization.

"Jake, this is Pansy Parkinson. One of my good friends from school."

"Good friend? Darling, I'm your _best_ friend," Pansy says with an exaggerated pout.

Draco laughs, long and hard, completely uncaring of Pansy's offended look. "Sure, whatever you say, Pans," he says as he pats her hand. "Jake!" he says trying to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Look! Cookies!" he pushes the plate closer to Jake and watches with amusement when Jake sits, after sending a heated glare at Pansy, pulling Harry into his lap with one hand and pulling the plate towards him with the other. "Tea?"

Jake makes a face. "No, thanks." He doesn't get the whole tea thing. Unless it's iced and loaded with sugar, he doesn't drink it. He doesn't say anything else but Harry hops off his lap and pours him a large glass of milk. He slides it across the table with a smile and settles back into Jake's lap, surprising Jake. He was sure Harry would either slink out of the room or sit in the chair next to him.

He wraps am arm loosely around Harry's waist, thrilled when Harry leans back into him, and lightly kisses the back of Harry's neck in thanks. He probably would have had an irreversibly horrible opinion of Pansy if her presence had kept Harry away from him. As it is, he's still annoyed at her earlier tone and the way she looked at Harry but willing to give her a second chance.

"Thanks, babe," Jake says quietly and focuses on dunking his cookies in the milk instead of looking at Pansy.

Pansy watches the strange couple for a moment. She's not sure why you'd dip cookies—no, she can't say it; they're biscuits!—in milk, but Jake sure seems to enjoy it. Potter is trying to split his attention between her, Draco and Jake. He's failing miserably, she thinks with amusement. Harry's eyes are constantly returning to watch Jake pop whole (slightly soggy, she notices with a grimace) biscuits in his mouth. His gaze settles on Jake's mouth, usually when the larger man's tongue darts out to lick crumbs and milk off.

She stifles a giggle; it's rather erotic watching the man eating his biscuits with milk, sucking and licking crumbs and dribbles of milk off his fingers as well. The occasional slurp makes Harry's lips twitch. She nearly gapes when a dribble of milk falls down Jacob's chin and Harry's eyes darken, his tongue drags across his own mouth, as if he can lick the milk off from where he sat.

She leans forward, silently begging he'll lean forward and lick the milk off. She flops back and pouts slightly when Jake runs the back of his hand over his chin with an embarrassed smile before Harry can lean forward and lick it off. Damn.

"So," she says loudly, trying to break Harry's nearly hypnotic concentration on the man under him. "How're you doing, Potter?"

Harry jumps slightly and tears his gaze away from Jake's mouth. "Oh, er, I'm good." He holds up his hand, obviously showing off his engagement band, and leans back into Jake. "Did you know it was a double ceremony?"

Pansy nods. "I did. Draco made sure to mention it in his letter. Congratulations, by the way," she says sincerely. She smiles at Jacob, noticing his eyes are narrowed at her again. "Where did you two meet?" Harry, Jake and Draco all share a look and start snickering, much to Pansy's annoyance and confusion. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a funny question."

Draco recovers first and shakes his head, patting her hand. "It's not really." He looks to Jake, confusing Pansy. When he shakes his head slightly, Draco sighs. "We met at the beach. It was fucking freezing, by the way, and there he was." He doesn't add the man had been wearing nearly nothing, or practically eye-fucking Harry, not willing to answer any questions as to why or give Pansy a mental image that would make Harry want to scratch her eyes out. "He showed us around, we met his friends and here we are." He spreads his hands in a 'there you have it' gesture.

"Oh," Pansy says, crossing her arms and leaning on the table, feeling slightly giddy at the action. Elbows on the table! She can almost see why Draco embraced such heathenistic behavior. "So, that must be how you met Joe?" It isn't hard to tell the group is close.

Draco nods, fighting a dopey grin. "Yes. It wasn't hard to fall for him." He waggles his eyebrows at Pansy and snickers when she nods emphatically.

He pauses, truly unsure what else he can say. He's already gotten the impression Jake doesn't want him to say anything about the pack and he really doesn't want to either.

He has no idea how long Pansy is going to be staying and he is well aware she is still rather close minded about many things. Werewolves tended the scare the knickers off of her, so naturally she sneered and looked down her nose at them. Jake and his pack aren't the usual sort, but why risk it?

He taps his nails on the table and is saved from having to say anything else in answer when Joe walks in. He doesn't mean to ignore everyone else, but it's really hard to see anything other than Joe.

His focus is solely on the man as Joe walks across the room towards him. Mainly on the low slung, tight jeans and Draco wishes desperately he could see his arse from the front, not that the front isn't delicious enough but he always enjoys watching Joe walk away just so he can ogle his perfect arse.

"Hi," he breathes, craning his neck slightly as Joe makes his way over and stands next to him.

"Hey, love," Joe says and rests a hand on the back of Draco's neck, his fingers absently caressing the soft skin. He spares Pansy the briefest glance and gives Jake a pointed look. "I gotta talk with Jake here," he says quietly to Draco before leaning down and giving him a quick, yet thorough, kiss.

He leans back and smirks at the dazed, heated look on Draco's face. "I'm taking you out in about an hour, so wear something nice, okay?" he murmurs and stands with a wink when Draco just nods, eyes warm with surprised pleasure. "Jake." He tilts his head towards the doorway.

"Yeah, alright," Jake says slowly, wondering what's on Joe's mind. Why not kick Pansy out and just talk about it here? He presses a brief kiss to the back of Harry's neck and slides out from under him. He follows Joe, rolling his eyes when he hears Pansy whisper "you lucky bastards!" to Draco and Harry as they leave the room.

~oOo~

Jake follows Joe until they're outside and leaning against his car in the driveway. He raises an eyebrow; why did they have to go so far? "What's up?"

Joe paces in a small circle for a moment, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He doesn't know which piece of information to share first. He knows Jake is watching him and he knows Jake is going to be freaking out soon if he doesn't say something; Jake knows he isn't normally a pacer or a fidgeter.

"I saw Quil and Embry," he says finally.

"Okay," Jake says slowly, patiently waiting for more information before he reacts. He takes a deep breath; no, freaking out will not help and Joe isn't the source of his irritation. "And?"

Joe chews the inside of his cheek for a minute, his hands now fiddling with the untucked hem of his t-shirt. "I'm not sure. They made it sound like they want to talk to you. Like, _talk_ talk." He crosses his arms and forces himself to stand still. "I think they might want to be in your pack."

Jake's eyes widen and after a moment, he laughs. "No shit. Really?"

Joe nods, a smile growing on his face. Relief is coursing through him and he's not sure why. "Yeah, really. They gave me this song and dance about their regrets, being assholes and—" He pauses, tapping a finger on his chin, "Something about missing you." He shrugs and his hands flop down and hang at his sides. He doesn't want to add that the fuckers had almost sounded sincere; he didn't want those bastards anywhere near them and doesn't feel an ounce of guilt for not mentioning it.

"Oh. Well, that's... weird." Jake leans back against the car, enjoying the feel of the warm metal under his back and closes his eyes to think.

Does he really care? He hasn't seen or spoken to any of the pack, besides Sam, since he was forced out. He still works at the garage and goes into town, so it's noit like they never had a chance to see him if they wanted to. He thinks back, and no, Embry hadn't looked the least bit hesitant or upset about the situation when he last saw him. Jake's pretty sure he was one of the first to follow after Sam from the clearing. Quil hadn't even looked at him.

"What do you think?" he finally asks Joe as he opens his eyes, leaning forward slightly.

"I say fuck 'em."

Jake doubles over, laughing harder than was probably warranted simply because of the mental images that statement brought on. Neither are anywhere near his type and were nearly like brothers to him, so it is rather gross. Just ew.

He eventually calms himself down and just shakes his head. "What was your impression?" he asks, looking at Joe closely. He trusts Joe's instincts and respects his opinion.

Joe sighs and rubs his forehead. "They seemed genuine, but I don't think genuine enough to allow them in." He's mostly still pissed that, as Jake's so-called closest friends, neither had stood up for Jake like he and Seth did. Why did it take so long for them to say something? "I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to them. I really don't want to tell you what to do, man. I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks, but you gotta know I respect what you have to say, Joe," Jake says with a firm nod. He claps Joe on the shoulder and gives him a big grin. "Besides, I don't want any hissy fits if you don't like them."

Joe snickers. "I'm a big boy. I won't throw a tantrum. But, you're right; I don't like them. Never did." They had never ragged on him as bad as some of the other guys in the pack but they hadn't tried to be friendly like Jake had, either. Quil had even mocked Jake for being friends with him. So, he's still a firm believer in the 'fuck them' philosophy and plan of action.

"I know," Jake agrees and jumps up to sit on the hood of the car. "I'll think about it but I really don't think anything will happen. I... I really don't think I'm at a point where I can accept them. Any of them, really." He looks towards the house, "I know for a fact they'd have a major issue with Harry." And Draco, but he doesn't add that part even though he knows Joe is thinking it as well. He scowls darkly, "And that will never work."

He looks back at Joe, "Why do I get the feeling there's something else?"

Joe blinks and grins after a second. "Probably because I'm shit at being sneaky, just like you." He pauses, the grin dropping from his face and rubs the back of his neck, his nerves returning. "I saw Bella," he finally says. He narrows his eyes and watches Jake carefully.

"And?"

Joe can only stare at Jake, surprised at the lack of reaction and shrugs awkwardly. "And, um, she's a vampire now. I thought you should know since she asked about you." He waits for Jake to mention the pact, fully prepared to give him the full story that Bella gave him but Jake doesn't ask, much to his surprise. He doesn't even seem to want to know when or where he saw Bella.

Jake snickers and points a finger at Joe, "You were totally freaking out about telling me that, weren't you?"

Joe huffs and punches Jake in the gut. "I was, you fucker. Why is that funny?"

Jake rubs his stomach, not really in pain since Joe didn't hit with any real force and he'd tensed up, and shrugs. "It happened awhile ago, I'm sure Sam dealt with any problems," he murmurs quietly and sees Joe nod. Damn, has it really been almost a year since Bella got married? Time just flew... "I guess because I pretty much figured that she'd end up one and I'm surprised you were freaking out about it. You didn't like Bella. Like, at all." Jake grins, not really bothered by it.

He had been waiting for the day he'd see Bella happily sucking animals dry and hanging all over her sparkly dumbass with matching sparkly features. He rubs his chest, a slight twinge of pain there for the friend he once knew but that's it.

Joe doesn't even bother looking sheepish. He just grins with a firm head shake. "Nope. That girl is fucked in the head. I always got the impression she was more into watching you and that other guy fight over her than actually being your friend." When Jake just blinks at him, he shrugs one shoulder. "Just how I saw it, man. Not that it matters now."

He smiles and enjoys the look of pure happiness—and a little lust—that comes into Jake's expression when his thoughts clearly go to Harry. He can't find it in himself to be annoyed, since he's sure he wears a similar look on his face when he thinks about Draco.

"Nope," Jake says happily, his eyes still slightly dazed and vacant. He blinks a few times and rubs a thumb over his bottom lip, "Uh, so what did she say?"

"Nothing much. I got the impression she didn't want to hang around long," Joe smirks, remembering the way her nose wrinkled (either in annoyance that she had to talk with _him_ or his lovely smell that offended vampires so much) with amusement. "Just asked how you were and if you'd be open to a visit." He grins. "I told her you got engaged and it was very amusing to see her face get all pinched up and constipated."

Jake laughs and lightly punches Joe's arm, "You _would_ find that funny."

He purses his lips in thought; he should tell Harry about Bella and soon. She wasn't known for her impulse control and would probably make herself known sooner rather than later. He really has very little interest in seeing her but he knows he'll have little choice in the matter if she wants to see him. He can admit he feels a small amount of fear for Harry should she get near him; she's still be a new vampire and they aren't known for having self control.

"Do I sound like a complete pussy when I say I want to talk to Harry about it first?"

Joe shakes his head once, firmly, with a solemn look on his face. "Not at all. I know Draco would probably do something horrific to my balls or my dick," They both wince involuntarily and cup their crotches, "if I went off to see an ex-girlfriend without saying anything about it." He laughs at Jake's sour expression, "I know, she wasn't an ex-girlfriend, but you get my point, man. And I know Harry probably wouldn't harm your manhood but I would mention it even if only to warn him she's gonna be sniffing around."

He really doesn't think Harry will react like his blonde would. However, with Bella being a vampire, it's dangerous for him to be unaware; even if the dude had experience dealing with vampires, it made his palms sweaty to think of either wizard caught unawares.

Jake nods absently and then looks around. "Why did we have to come out here, anyway?"

Joe sucks his teeth and glares at the house, "I can't stand that Pansy bitch." He glares when Jake laughs. "No, I'm not jealous," he says and adopts a cocky grin. "I'm not at all threatened she'll steal my man." He really isn't. There is no way she could worship that cock properly or pound him into the mattress like Draco loves. "No, she's a bitch. Always talking down to everyone but Draco. You should have seen the look she gave Teddy," he growls lowly.

It pisses him off more when he realized she didn't think anyone was looking at her when she'd given little Teddy a nasty glare. The only thing that really saved her from being throttled was the fact that Teddy had giggled at her and ran off to find his kneazle, Simon.

"I nearly lost it, man. So, I figured some fresh air would do us good." He's actually surprised Leah hasn't skinned the bitch yet, but that's probably only because she seems to be absent when Pansy is at her bitchiest. Maybe another day will do it.

Jake hums in agreement, understanding now. "So," he starts, hoping a topic change will distract Joe from his Pansy rant. Now is not the time to mention that Draco has more friends coming for the wedding. He nearly winces; he really hopes they aren't like Pansy but he's pretty sure it's an unrealistic hope. "Where are you taking Draco?"

Joe narrows his eyes at Jake, well aware of what he's doing but he can't stay annoyed. Thoughts of Draco immediately perk him up and wipes Pansy and her rich-bitch ways right from his mind.

"Nothing fancy, just dinner and a movie. He was whining the other day that I don't take him out enough." He shakes his head and chuckles. His blonde is proving to be high maintenance, not that he's surprised in the least. He doesn't mind and enjoys spoiling his blonde. He half wishes there were (but mostly relieved there weren't) more high end restaurants in the area he could treat Draco to. "And no, we're not doubling."

Jake holds up his hands with a snort, "I wasn't going to ask. Harry prefers staying in." He grins. He rolls his eyes a moment later, "Though, I should probably try to convince you. We're supposed to watch some cartoon movie with Teddy tonight."

He adores the little man and doesn't mind keeping an eye on him when his dad needs a night off. He can only hope and pray it isn't that annoying one with the fish. For the hundredth time.

Joe laughs, pointing a finger at Jake and everything. "Sucker," he gloats and slaps him on the back. "But at least you'll get popcorn." He snickers, well aware there would be nothing more than hand holding if Teddy is going to watching with them. Poor Jake; the best part of watching a movie is fooling around while the movie played unwatched in the background. That went double for kids' movies since you didn't give a shit at all about missing it.

Jake grumbles and punches Joe in the arm. Hard. He smirks when Joe scowls at him and rubs the reddened area.

"Fucker," Joe pouts. He's going to need this arm later, dammit.

He turns and heads back inside after punching Jake back, though not as hard as he wanted to since he doesn't want to get into a wrestling match at the moment. He'd much rather wrestle with Draco (though he can be hard to pin sometimes when he sets his mind to it).

~oOo~

Joe jogs down the steps and stops at the doorway to the kitchen. He leans against the doorjamb, watching Draco as he sits at the table. His annoyance when he noticed Draco hadn't gotten ready slips away when he sees the piles of opened magazines, all of them wedding themed; with corners folded and sticky tabs sticking to various pages. All of Draco's attention is on the magazines and a piece of paper he writes notes on occasionally.

It's not surprising in the least that the paper looks wrinkly and oft handled. None of them appear to be wizarding magazines—did they even have those?—and he nearly sighs in relief. He didn't have the first clue what to do with that sort of stuff and he's more than a little worried there wasn't time to learn.

He smiles. "I do hope you're not going to make us wear anything too fussy," he says looking pointedly at the magazines and then Draco's ring when the blonde's head jerks up.

"Oh fuck!" Draco gasps, his eyes wide and apologetic as he covers his mouth. "I completely forgot," he mumbles miserably when he notices Joe standing there looking freshly showered and dressed to go out.

He takes a moment to enjoy the picture Joe makes; honestly, one man shouldn't look so good. His eyes are on Joe's dark hair, swept back from his face, before slowly sliding down to take in the white button down shirt, sleeves casually folded to his forearms, and dark washed jeans. It's nearly criminal and Draco is hard-pressed to share him with the public.

His eyes narrow a moment later when Joe's words sink in. He's pretty sure Joe knew he was planning Harry and Jake's wedding, not their own.

Joe takes a step into the room but stops when he sees Draco's narrowed eyes and heated gaze change; he was openly admiring him but at some point his eyes heated with anger and suspicion instead, completely confusing Joe.

He stops moving when Draco stands suddenly, pointing a shaky finger at him. Joe blinks when he realizes all of Draco is shaking with something akin to anger. What the hell just happened? He pushes down the panic that wants to rise and focuses on breathing calmly. Draco will most likely yell and holler, but at least he'll know what's going on.

"Is that... is that why you asked me?" Draco demands, his voice quiet with anger and pain. He angrily pushes a hand through his hair, feeling agitated and unsure.

Joe takes another few steps before he turns and sees Pansy sitting at the table. A smug, expectant look is on her face as she leans back with crossed arms as she looks between the two of them, obviously looking forward to her own personal soap opera.

He doesn't have any patience for her or her bullshit right now nor does he want to see her smug little face. "Get out," he growls and turns back to Draco, without another look at her. If she doesn't leave, he'll make sure she regrets it but right now he needs his attention back on his Draco.

Pansy gapes with shock. That wasn't a 'grrr' sound; no, the man _literally_ growled at her like some sort of wild animal. She looks to Draco, about to open her mouth and demand he stick up for her but he is completely focused on sending a heated glare at his clueless fiancé. She stands stiffly and with a muttered "needs manners", grabs a few magazines and leaves the room, slinking past Joe and disappearing. She doesn't even think to hang back and eavesdrop.

Joe slowly closes the space between him and Draco, moving cautiously in case Draco bolts or hexes him. He slowly winds an arm around Draco's waist, subtly sighing with relief when Draco doesn't react other than to look up. He wraps a hand around the side of Draco's neck, just as slowly and eases the blonde closer to him.

"Now, what are you talking about?" he leans down slightly to ask quietly into Draco's ear, no longer able to look into Draco's pained steely gaze.

Draco swallows and has to clear his throat, "Is that why you asked me? To marry you?" He nearly pushes Joe away, if only in the hope that his brain will work properly. He always gets delightfully fuzzy headed when he's so close to Joe. He only gets so far as to get a hand up and pressed against Joe's chest. He nearly groans when his plan to shove backfires and he's left with a warm hand as his palm rests on Joe's solid warmth.

Joe is completely lost; he doesn't understand how his comment is connecting to Draco's reaction. He tilts his head and softly brushes his lips across Draco's, sighing again when Draco relaxes against him more, even though his hand is still pressed against Joe's chest as if he's preparing to shove Joe away any moment.

"Explain," he says imperiously in a low, commanding voice. He doesn't miss the way Draco's pupils dilate, his cheeks pink lightly or the quick dart of his tongue across his lips and makes a mental note to use the same commanding tone the next time he gets Draco alone. He's slightly surprised being bossed around is a turn on for Draco but he's completely willing to indulge his blonde. He bites back a smirk, or even an excited laugh, knowing Draco would misinterpret it at the moment.

"Did you know about the double ceremony idea when you asked me to marry you?" Draco asks quietly in a rush.

He's really not sure why the idea bothers him so much. It really shouldn't matter if Joe asked simply to make it easier all around to just double along with Harry and Jake. Maybe it's the small part of him that's still a spoiled prat, but he wanted Joe to ask because he loves him and wants to marry him, completely ready and willing to pay for a massive wedding. Not to mention revel in all the attention it would bring them. He sighs and nearly apologizes for his ridiculous reaction.

"No," Joe murmurs, brushing his nose gently along Draco's. "I had no idea. Harry didn't even mention it until yesterday. And don't yell at him, love, he didn't know I didn't know when he said something. I almost waited."

Draco sags with relief. He looks up and blinks, pressing closer, enjoying the completely solid way Joe is still holding him. "What? Why?"

"I didn't want to take attention from Jake and Harry's engagement and wedding, all that shit, you know? But I just couldn't wait," he says and gently kisses Draco again; his lips, his nose, and then each cheekbone. "Please don't think there was any other reason why I asked you other than I love you and intend to spend the rest of my life with you." He pulls Draco even closer to him, smiling when Draco sighs and goes completely pliant in his arms.

Draco blinks rapidly, battling the prickling sting in his eyes at Joe's annoyingly tender, sweet words. "Merlin," he breathes and closes his eyes in bliss when Joe's lips trail along his jaw down his neck. "Alright," he mutters absently and moans softly when Joe's lips land just under his ear.

He presses closer, fisting Joe's shirt in his hand in an effort to ground himself. "I'm sorry," he finally mutters.

Joe leans back slightly, his brows furrowing a little. "For what, love?" He's gotten used to Draco's occasional mercurial moods, but not apologies. To be fair, he's heard Draco utter those two words when required but it's not often. His mind is a blank as to why Draco would feel the need to apologize to him.

"I'm planning something completely fussy," Draco says with a sigh as he slides a hand up Joe's back to bury his hand in the dark hair. He tries to push Joe's mouth back to his but Joe doesn't budge. He frowns, annoyed at the lack of lips on his person. "What?"

"You little bastard," Joe says lightly, a small smile on his face. "What are you going to do to us?"

Draco huffs and drops his hand, well aware any further kissing, or anything else, is over as soon as he refuses to share his plans. Did the man not respect surprises? He curses his big mouth and frowns. "I can't tell you that."

Joe raises an eyebrow and decides to play dirty. He shifts his hips forward and bends his head to graze his teeth along Draco's neck, nibbling at the soft junction of neck and shoulder. "What are you planning?" he murmurs against the delicious pale neck, pushing Draco's shirt to the side so he can slide his tongue in a wet trail along one collarbone.

Draco sags, his eyes fluttering closed. He nearly blurts it out when Joe's hand slides down from his neck to cup his arse, squeezing slightly. "Not saying," he pants. He whimpers softly when Joe's hand slides from his arse around to the growing bulge in the front of his jeans. "Oh fuck," his knees wobble slightly when that large, hot hand squeezes with just the right amount of pressure. "You bastard," he hisses through his teeth when Joe's mouth works on his neck in tandem with that wicked hand that's now sliding into his pants to palm him over the flimsy fabric of his underwear. "I won't—" He moans, head back. "—tell you!"

Joe stops all his ministrations, but doesn't let Draco go, and sighs dramatically. "Alright," he smirks at Draco's stunned expression. "You can't blame a guy for trying." He pecks a quick, chaste kiss onto Draco's still parted mouth and slaps his ass lightly. "Now go get ready. We're still going out."

Draco blinks and slowly pulls himself out of Joe's grip. Well, fuck. He should have just told the man his stupid plans and he wouldn't be left standing there still insanely aroused and left wanting. "Yeah, alright," he says and backs out of the kitchen, snagging the sheet of paper full of his wedding notes. "I might need some extra time," he waves a hand at his still hard cock with a smirk, hoping Joe will snag him and sort him out.

He pouts when Joe just nods and turns around, grabbing a snack from the 'fridge. "Wanker," he mutters and stomps off to take a quick, cold shower.

~oOo~

Harry leaves the kitchen, annoyed that Pansy's presence was the reason Joe felt the need to pull Jake elsewhere to talk, and heads out back with the intention of flying for a bit.

As soon as he gets outside near the small shed they keep the brooms in, his attention is drawn to the wooded area behind the house. He's never been through the area yet, not even when they'd had that confrontation with Sam. He bypasses the shed and continues on until he's crossing the line of trees and into the woods.

He looks around and draws his wand out so he can mark the nearest tree, so he doesn't get himself lost. Too many forays into woods and forests have taught him it's a very handy trick to use. A white 'X' appears and he nods, satisfied, before he moves deeper in the woods.

He's not sure how long he's been walking, or how far, but he realizes he doesn't see the house anymore. He looks up, marveling at the height of the trees surrounding him. Checking the white 'X's, he continues on until he feels something... off. He looks around, unsure what could be causing his unease. He's sure Jake said this is a Muggle area, meaning now crazy animals or large predators.

His brow furrows when he feels a strange force peeking into his mind; he immediately slams his Occlumency shields up, sending a silent thanks to Draco for the extra help in strengthening them, and turns around in a small circle, his eyes and ears straining to pick up something.

He doesn't hear anything but his instincts have him turning, wand raised, and he nearly shouts with surprise when he sees three vampires now standing silently a few yards away from him. He tenses and nearly hexes them before he realizes they are just standing there, looking at him with curiosity and interest.

They are unlike any vampires he's ever seen before and he's immediately on his guard when one of them, a female, leans forward and takes an obvious sniff in his direction.

"Don't come any closer," Harry says quietly, knowing they can hear him. "I don't want any problems." Harry takes a moment to look at them closely. The one in the middle, a man who looks barely out of his teens, with amber eyes and hair the color of a well used American Muggle penny, takes two steps towards him.

He raises his wand, casts a non-verbal cutting hex and steps back in the blink of an eye. Relief courses through him and he nearly sags with it that his reflexes are still quick. He doesn't think these three vampires are out for his blood, he'd mostly likely be dead already if that was the case, but he's not willing to take any chances.

The blonde vampire's face goes slack with surprise when the other male falls to his knees with a gasp of pain and surprise. Harry stays alert.

 _Edward?_ Jasper mentally asks. He's confused by the strange dark haired man in front of them. Not just because he seemed to be able to harm Edward from afar, but he's getting such strange feelings from the man. Relief was just there, which is very confusing. It fades, leaving the earlier curiosity, recognition, and suspicion. Very little, if any, fear.

He can feel anger slowly bubbling up and overlapping the fear, diminishing it almost all together. He also doesn't smell human, not completely. He told Edward all of this before he'd stepped closer and he subtly shakes his head at his brother's rash actions. Don't approach an unknown. Maybe he should have added his suspicions that the man before them is familiar with battle; it's in his every action and stance.

"I'm alright," Edward murmurs quietly as he stands back up and pulls his torn shirt open, looking down at his chest with a frown. The slashes are rapidly healing, but pale white scars are left behind and he scowls fiercely at the strange man. "What did you do?"

He glances at Bella and notices her eyes haven't left the stranger since they'd approached him. Did she even notice that he'd be hurt? He fingers the tattered remains of his shirt and laments the loss of another perfectly good shirt.

Harry shrugs and fingers his wand, "I said not to come closer. I don't give second warnings," he says, his green eyes hard. "Which one of you is the brain raper?" he asks harshly, gaze flicking from each vampire.

Edward blinks and nearly raises his hand. "Why?" he asks instead.

He's annoyed he can't hear the man's thoughts. No one was ever able to tell he's reading their thoughts before. Nor keep him out. The strange scent of him is highly confusing; he smells human but at the same time he doesn't. He can't understand how the man was able to hurt him and he's got a feeling the slashes across his chest could have been worse, possibly fatal, if the man so desired it.

It's all highly annoying.

Harry shifts, his shoulders hunching slightly when he feels something else trying to wrap around his body. It's an odd sensation. He scowls and mumbles a _Protego_ , immediately blocking off any other influences. He notices the blonde vampire's eyes widen as his mouth parts slightly in shock.

He raises his wand and points it right at the vampire's chest. "Is it you?"

Jasper raises his hands and takes an involuntary step back, completely unused to such actions from a human. "No," he says quietly and lowers his hands feeling embarrassed. "I was only reading your aura," he admits and cocks his head slightly. "Not that I can now. How are you able to do that?" he twirls a finger in a circle at Harry, indicating his lack of input from the stranger.

People can't tell when he reads them, nor are they usually aware if he influences what they're putting out. Very curious.

Harry doesn't answer, just continues to watch the trio. Obviously, American vampires have some major differences than the kind he is used to. They all are just standing, placidly and still as statues, watching him with warm amber eyes. He can smell the coppery tang of blood on them but he can't see any spatter of it on any of them. He's never known a vampire to be so neat when feeding.

He cocks a brow at the female, her darker eyes haven't left him and her nose is constantly twitching. He turns his attention back on the blonde one, the only one who seems willing (or able) to talk with him civilly. "One of you tried reading my mind; who?"

Jasper's eyes flick to Edward and he shrugs one shoulder, hoping for casual. He's actually wary at the dark look on the strange human's face. "We don't do it on purpose, it's just there. I apologize." He inclines his head, dropping his eyes a moment and Harry is forced to believe his sincerity. "We didn't intend any harm."

Harry's eyes narrow and he looks at the one still fingering the scars on his chest with a petulant expression. "I don't appreciate it."

Edward looks up and has to suppress a flinch at the intense green gaze. "I do apologize," he mumbles, not really meaning it. No one has ever felt him in their heads before. It really wasn't something he _did_ , it just happens.

"I am curious as to how you can block me out." He looks at Bella and gives her a crooked smile, finally drawing her attention. "I've only been kept out of one mind."

Bella winks at Edward, surprising him, and goes back to her intense study of the strange human. There is a familiar smell around him that she's trying to place and it's starting to annoy her that she can't.

Harry isn't sure how to answer but doesn't bother when he notices another vampire approach the small group to stand behind the female. The vampire is massive; slightly taller than Jake—which is impressive—and decidedly bulkier. Harry tries not to feel nervous and any further discomfort is dissipated when the large vampire grins at him, showing off adorable dimples, and gives him a cheeky wave.

"This is so bloody strange," he murmurs to himself. He finds himself smiling when the massive vampire chuckles.

Emmett smacks the back of his hand on Jasper's shoulder. "Why are you freaking out the human?" He eyes the stranger and nods to himself. This is one bad-ass dude; even if he hadn't seen him take Edward down a peg with a flick of his finger, he can just _tell_. He smells weird, though. His nose is still twitching with the strange mix of ozone, spice and wet dog. There isn't enough dog smell to make him think this guy is a werewolf, but he's very close to one.

Besides, he can't be all that bad if he hangs around with werewolves. Once you get over their 'Imma bad-ass and Imma kill you' attitude, werewolves are cool. And more fun to wrestle than a pissed off bear.

Jasper glares up at Emmett from the corner of his eye, "I wasn't the one that put him on his guard." He sends a quick annoyed glance at Edward, who is ignoring him in favor of staring at Bella, an annoyed frown marring his features as he continues to finger the gashes in his skin and shirt. "I didn't want to upset him further."

Emmett bends over with a loud guffaw. "He ain't gonna hurt us. He's a friend of Jake's." Emmett raises his voice slightly, "Right, man? You're friends with Jake? We're sorta friends."

Harry blinks in surprise, nearly dropping his wand. "I am," he says quietly, wondering how they could know that. He nearly asks but the female gasps and closes the distance between them so quickly, he's glad he didn't drop his wand or distract himself with more questions.

Before she can get any closer, he's got his wand against her throat and another cutting hex on his lips. At this distance and where he's aimed, she'd be beheaded in less time it took to blink.

"I'm sorry!" Bella says and immediately steps back, her hands up and wrapping protectively around her neck. "I'm sorry," she repeats and lowers her hands. "I—" She breaks off, unsure how to explain.

She'd only ever smelled Jake when she was human so she finally realized why she couldn't place the slightly familiar smell now; it indeed had a decidedly 'canine' overtone to it. It was wrapped around the man like he spent a lot of time with Jake—and probably the other werewolves. Closely.

She looks at the stranger again and her eyes widen. "Oh my god, you're the one," she whispers, her hands coming up to cover her mouth. Her rational mind wants to refute that this guy is in any way involved with Jake, but it's hard to deny once she puts all the pieces together.

Edward steps over to Bella and grabs her arm, still feeling shaken at her rash actions that nearly got her beheaded. "What were you thinking?" he hisses quietly, too low for the human to hear. "He nearly killed you!" It's still hard to wrap his mind around; this human could move fast enough to harm them. And without having to move much at all.

He very nearly thanks the stiffly standing man for his hesitation.

Bella's gaze is still on the human. "I was trying to figure out his scent. I didn't know..." she trails off and finally looks at Edward. "I think he's Jake's mate," she whispers and sends a heated glare at the dark haired man. "Joe said he was engaged," she hisses and stomps her foot. "He didn't say it was to a fucking guy!"

Edward blinks, shocked at his wife's reaction and her language. "So?" He's trying to hide a grin at the news. Jake is going to be happily distracted from his Bella, not to mention he can't help being amused that Jake is gay. He's only slightly annoyed he hadn't picked up on it sooner.

The thought of Bella being upset sobers him slightly and he steps closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

" _So_?" she hisses, still keeping her voice quiet. "SO?" She shakes her head. She doesn't know. She sends a glare when Emmett laughs at her—even going so far as to point a finger at her and slap his thigh—and looks to Jasper. "What's he feeling?"

Jasper studies Bella for a moment, unsure why jealousy and annoyance are still coming strongly from her. "I don't know. He's blocked me."

"What?!" Bella whirls out of Edward's arms and stalks over to Jasper, poking him in the chest with one sharp little finger. "How?" Only she is able to do that, and she has to consciously think about it. She can't do it _all_ the time!

Jasper raises an eyebrow, amused. He nearly slaps her away from him, but he doesn't want to disrespect her or Edward. Her irritation is highly amusing. "I don't know. He hasn't said." He looks over at the stranger. "He's very strange and not all together human." He's not about to tell Bella that his interest is piqued. It's been a long time since he's not wanted to harm a human and this one is so intriguing.

Bella raises her hands and huffs. "Well, duh." She rolls her eyes and slowly turns and takes a few steps towards Harry. "I'm not going to hurt you." She says and nearly huffs again with annoyance when he doesn't lower his arm or relax at all. "I won't!" She pouts but stops getting closer. "So, you know Jake?"

Harry only nods. It's obvious these vampires know Jake, probably even had been friendly with him at some point. He finds himself believing the largest vampire when he'd said they were friends. He looks her over slowly and nearly smirks at her completely flustered and annoyed expression.

He relaxes slightly and affects a bored tone of voice, "Do you?"

Bella crosses her arms and cocks a hip out as she flicks her hair back behind her shoulder. "Yeah," she says in the same 'duh' tone. She nearly shouts that she was Jake's best friend and what did some weirdo want with Jake. Instead, she just looks at the stranger and waves a hand at him. "You stink like him." She nearly winces, she hadn't meant to say 'stink' but he does have the same smell she's become used to when around the werewolves.

Harry blinks and slowly grins. Now he realizes this must be Bella, Jake's old friend. His grin turns slightly leering and he winks at her. "You bet I do." He huffs a laugh when she gapes at him, her slightly reddish eyes widening when she realizes what he's implying. "I'm sure it's very offensive for you," he says with mock concern and can't help shoot the big vampire a grin when he laughs loudly, a finger pointing at Bella again as he does.

"I'm Harry, by the way." He doesn't offer his hand, just stands and continues to look at her blandly. He's not impressed with her glare at all.

"Jasper," the blonde one says before jerking a thumb behind him, "And Emmett." He nearly stops Emmett when the larger vampire steps out from behind him and approaches Harry. Harry doesn't even blink when the larger vampire rushes toward him, his hand out and raised in an obvious gesture of greeting. "Stupid bastard," he mutters, but he's fascinated nonetheless that Harry shows no signs of alarm at Emmett. On the contrary, Harry shakes his hand with a small smile on his face and his eyes finally warming as he looks up at the massive vampire.

Emmett turns and flips Jasper off with a grin. He jerks his head at Harry, who's still shaking his hand. "He knew I wasn't gonna hurt him. I like this dude," he says and slaps a hand on Harry's back, making the smaller man stumble slightly with pink cheeks. "He's got balls of steel."

Harry rubs his shoulder, circling it slightly to work the joint and grins up at Emmett. "I'm sure you could rip a grizzly apart." He laughs when Emmett nods with a wistful smile, "but I did indeed realize you weren't going to hurt me." He looks at the blonde vampire, "I'm sorry if I reacted... badly. I don't like taking chances." He looks pointedly towards where the couple are now standing together.

Bella and Edward share an annoyed glance. "We weren't going to hurt you either," Edward says through gritted teeth.

Jasper ignores the couple and nods at Harry. "I don't blame you in the least." He stiffens a moment later when large footsteps are heard approaching behind Harry. Thankfully, the smell is werewolf, not human, so Jasper relaxes slightly. He's still not sure how the situation will be received.

He raises an eyebrow when Harry doesn't respond to the sound, other than to smile. A few moments go by and Jasper's curiosity is sated when Jake bursts into the clearing, his eyes wide and darting around as he takes in the scene.

"Harry!" he calls and quickly grabs him by the arm, pulling him away from Emmett, a low growl in his throat.

Harry places his palms on Jake's chest. "It's alright. I'm fine," he hurries to say, seeing Jake's wide panicked eyes. He smirks. "I can't say the same for him, though," he adds quietly and jerks his thumb over his shoulder at a glowering Edward.

Jake grins and finally breathes again, but he doesn't relax. He isn't entirely convinced the group of vampires would've hurt Harry, he just didn't like taking chances when it came to him. "What's goin' on?" He's looking at the group of vampires, but it's obvious he's asking Harry.

"I was wandering the woods," Harry says with a careless shrug. "I probably went a little deeper than I should and ran into them." He tilts his head towards the vampires, giving Jasper and Emmett a small wave. "Nothing happened, no big deal."

"Nothing happened? No big deal?" Edward says huffily and takes a step forward. Jake immediately growls and steps around in front of Harry. Edward sighs and steps back, raising a finger to point at Harry. God, now he feels like a little kid tattling on someone. "He _did_ something and sliced me open! I've got scars!" He ignores Bella's gasp, knowing now she indeed had not paying attention earlier, and glares at Jake. " _We_ didn't do anything, so muzzle it."

Jake just tilts his head back and laughs, drawing Harry close against his chest. "You did, babe?" Jake laughs harder when he sees Emmett nodding with a big grin on his face. He's a little surprised to see Emmett so thrilled with the situation, but he probably shouldn't be. Emmett found humor in practically every situation.

Harry nods, a small smile on his face. "I did. I did warn them to stay back." He's not sure if he should apologize since Edward seems more upset with the prospect of scarring than the attempt on his non-life. "So. You lot are friends?"

Jake scoffs and buries his face in Harry's neck a moment, inhaling deeply as he calms completely. "Not really. Well," he looks up and can't help grinning, "I like Jasper and Emmett well enough." His grin grows at the indignant expressions on Edward's and Bella's faces. "But it's more of an understanding. We settled our differences." He pauses, "Well, that was with Sam's pack. Not sure how mine will be," Jake ends thoughtfully.

Honestly, he sees no reason to be hostile. They've long ago settled their problems and as long as the Cullens keep to their 'vegetarian' ways, he doesn't care if they stay around. He has even gotten used to the sickly sweet smell of them.

Jasper blinks and can't stop from blurting out "Your pack?" He and Emmett share a look of surprise before giving their attention back to Jake. Last they knew, Sam Uley was the pack leader, not Jacob. Though neither one of them are surprised that Jake was able to overthrow the old Alpha, neither had expected him to.

Jake nods slowly, carefully eyeing all the vampires. "Yeah, we had some problems and now I'm in a separate pack."

"So, that's why Joe was talking to me," Bella muses aloud. "He didn't tell me about that, Jake," she says with a pout.

Jake just stares at her, unsure why she is pouting or under the impression Joe would tell her anything at all. "He can do whatever he wants."

Bella glares at Harry a moment, before looking at Jake with a sweet smile. She's pretty sure he'll be a puddle of goo just from her smile, so she doesn't bat her eyelashes like she normally would; no need to completely fry his brain. "He said you were engaged. To be married." She doesn't see Jasper's raised eyebrow, or Edward's, when Jasper says _She's jealous still_ mentally at Edward.

Jake's face is blank as he watches Bella, confused for only a moment until annoyance (and a little amusement) makes him snort a laugh and squeeze Harry a little tighter. "Yes, I am." He nuzzles the side of Harry's neck a moment, nearly forgetting they're in the middle of the woods with a group of vampires. "To my Harry here."

Bella crosses her arms and huffs. "You can't marry a guy, Jake." She smirks when Edward nods along with her and glares when Jasper and Emmett step away from her, not even bothering to be subtle about it.

"I can," Jake assures her with a laugh. He doesn't see the point in clarifying that it is going to be a wizarding bonding ceremony. Bella doesn't need to know that, and, really, he doesn't care what she thinks. The expects it from Edward (and probably the other two) because he's so old fashioned.

Bella rolls her eyes. "I mean, you aren't gay, so why would—"

Jake cuts her off with a loud laugh. "How the fuck would you know?"

He glances only for a moment when Emmett raises an eyebrow, amber eyes flicking between him and Harry, and takes a small step towards them. Jasper is only smiling at them, and Jake rolls his eyes when he knows Jasper is feeling the swirling mix of his emotions. Annoyance with Bella and a heavy mix of love and lust for Harry. He'd be embarrassed but he can't help it; Harry's ass is pressing right into his crotch. He grins when Jasper shifts awkwardly and Edward looks decidedly uncomfortable. He wishes vampires could blush.

"Whenever I saw you, you only bitched and moaned about Asshole over there," he says, jerking his chin at a scowling Edward. "Mooning and crying about how he dumped you and all that shit." He continues, even though Bella's eyes are now cast downward, "It ain't anything new, Bella."

Emmett sidles closer to Jake and Harry, a broad grin on his face. "Yo, man. You ever check me out?" He grins wider when Jake looks away and peeks at Harry from the corner of his eye.

Harry blinks and realizes the vampire is completely serious and probably not going to be in the least offended by the answer. A playful dimple pops up on the vampire's face and he smothers an amused snicker.

"Uh... no," Jake mutters.

Harry looks to Jake and bites the inside of his cheek when he sees Jake's cheeks pink slightly as he shoves Emmett in the chest. "Shut up, fucker."

Emmett allows the push and snickers. "Sure, sure. I believe you. I won't tell Rosie." He smirks when Jake shifts, pulling Harry in front of his crotch like a shield. "Not cool, man," he says laughing with a shake of his head at Jake's reaction.

Jake clears his throat, "Yes, well... this has been fun, but I think we should go now." He's amused when the vampires all look at each other with slightly sad expressions. "What?" he sighs.

Jasper looks around at his family and nods when he can tell they're all thinking along the same lines, "Well, we didn't want there to be any more... tension between us." He looks at Harry, slightly annoyed he still can't feel anything from the man. It would be very helpful right now since Jake is looking at him with a completely blank face. "I don't mean to be rude, but what are you?"

Harry snorts and rolls his eyes. Merlin, of all the places to visit he picks a place full of strange, slightly magical beings and runs right into them. "Jake," he murmurs and turns around to face his still flushed fiancé.

"A little privacy," Jake whispers into Harry's ear. He nods and does the privacy bubble thing, everything immediately sounds like a mute button has been pressed. "You don't have to say anything, if you don't want to or if you can't babe," he says once he knows they can't be overheard and Jake smirks when all the vampires blink in surprise. It must be really annoying to see their lips moving and not hear a damn thing. "This is completely different from the pack. They don't have to know shit."

"I know," Harry nods and looks over at the group of vampires. He doesn't think he'll be breaking the Secrecy laws by saying anything, just as he didn't by telling Jake and his pack. "Have you any intention of seeing this lot again?" he asks, looking at Jake curiously.

Jake worries his lower lip as he thinks. He doesn't feel the same animosity towards Edward any more, even if he still thinks the vampire is a massive tool, and he did kind of miss Bella. He never had a problem with any of the other vampires once they'd gotten over their initial issues; with the exception of Rosalie, who is a bitch to _everyone_ , he actually liked them for the most part.

"I guess," he finally mutters. "We didn't always get along but... well, I do kinda miss some of them." He doesn't mind telling Harry the truth and knowing the group behind them can't hear helps as well.

Harry raises an eyebrow, "There are more?"

"Yeah, like four more." He points to Jasper and Emmett, smiling when they both look at him with curiosity, "Their women and their 'parents'," he says, making air quotes. "I guess they're like a coven," he says with a shrug. "I gotta admit, Esme was a mean cook and always fed us when we visited."

He knows Harry won't be jealous but he doesn't mention the fact that wrestling with Emmett is something he misses, as well.

Harry laughs and rests his forehead on Jake's chest, "Well, feed you lot and you're in love." He sighs and peeks at the vampires from the corner of his eye. "I don't mind telling them and I don't mind spending more time around them." He looks up and gives Jake a cheeky grin, "I will not hesitate to slice and burn any of them if they try to eat anyone," he adds, tone serious, his eyes dark and hard. He nearly jokes that they could snack on Pansy but decides against it; she'd probably give them indigestion.

Jake nods, completely believing Harry can and will do just that. Any of them would. "If they didn't wanna snack on you, I think the rest of your friends are safe. Something must make you smell different than a normal person," he muses, leaning down to stick his nose in Harry's neck and inhales deeply. "You smell so different," he says hoarsely, almost regretting the action since now he was turned on.

"I know Seth will be excited, he was ridiculously fond of all of them."

"And Joe?"

Jake shrugs, "He didn't really spend any time with them. A lot of that drama happened right before he came back and phased with us." He stares off in thought again. "I don't think he'll mind. He's crazy laid back and generally doesn't judge people. And before you ask, Leah wasn't all that pleasant but she'll deal."

Harry nods. It's rare to see Joe get worked up about anything that isn't actually important or serious. And Leah, well, he isn't at all surprised with her reactions either. He just hopes she doesn't try to maul anyone. He smiles up at Jake, "Well, then, there's your answer."

He removes the privacy charm with a small pop. He nudges Jake with his elbow, "Go ahead," he murmurs.

Jake looks at Jasper, "First, I have to ask you something."

"Alright," Jasper says with a nod. He can feel apprehension and hope bubbling around Jake and wonders what he's going to ask. He's nearly twitching with the urge to find out just what happened before; they could see them talking but hadn't heard even a whisper!

"Did you, at any point, feel the urge to bite Harry?"

Jasper slowly shakes his head. "No," he says with surprise, just now realizing it. "He doesn't smell right." He sends Harry an apologetic smile. "I mean—"

"I get what you mean," Harry says, waving him off with a grin. "Trust me, I'm not offended."

Jasper smiles and his shoulders relax. "So, did you decide to confide in us?" He leans forward in anticipation. He can't help it; he hasn't come across anything so interesting in... ever, really.

Harry purses his lips and takes out his wand slowly, not wanting to startle the vampires since they saw him using it before. "I'm a wizard," he says.

Emmett laughs. "Sure you are. I'm a unicorn," he saying, point to himself and miming a horn from his forehead.

Harry stifles a laugh and slowly looks Emmett up and down, pausing for only a moment at the man's hips. "Your horn is in the wrong spot." He grins when Emmett breaks down into loud peals of laughter. "But, no, really. I'm a wizard. I do magic."

"Oh." Jasper looks at Harry carefully. "Is it rude to ask for a demonstration?"

Harry taps his chin, "You mean other than the fact that I was able to block his mind raping," he points to Edward, "and your aura reading?" He doesn't add slicing open Edward in his examples. When Jasper nods with a small smile, Harry shrugs. "Fine." He waves his wand and chuckles when Emmett flips up in the air and dangles by one ankle. "See?"

Emmett surprises them all by shrieking like a little girl and flailing his arms around. "Lemme down, man!" He starts to laugh and squirm when it feels like a dozen fingers and feathers attack every tickle spot he has. "C'mon, put me down!" he says through his laughter.

Everyone is looking at Emmett with wide eyes, thoroughly amused by the noises the large man is making.

Jasper especially enjoyed the high pitched shriek he'd heard earlier; he'd never heard such a noise from the vampire before. He wishes he could save that sound and play it for Alice later, if she didn't already get a vision about all this.

Harry waves his wand again and Emmett lowers to the ground gently. "I didn't mean to scare you," he says, his lips twitching. "I thought you'd be the one to enjoy that."

"You surprised me," Emmett mutters defensively, smoothing his clothes. He wasn't scared, dammit, getting jerked around like that was freaky. And fun, yeah.

He claps his hands loudly, "Well, I'm sold. Dude's a wizard. Let's go."

"Go where?"

Emmett grins, "Your house. I wanna meet everyone else."

Harry looks to Jake and only gets a shrug. "Er, alright. But I feel the need to let you know that if any of you try to hurt anyone, I'll end you."

Emmett starts to snicker but sees the very serious look on Harry's face and nods slowly. "Sure, man. I can control myself." He looks at Jasper warily, "You gonna be okay, man?"

"I hope so," Jasper says. He looks pained but can only shrug. "I'm still adjusting, but I will try my best. If I feel any urges, I will immediately leave, alright?"

Harry nods with a smile, "Works for me." He turns and starts heading back towards the house, not bothering to follow his white 'X's since Jake is already moving with confidence through the woods. "So." He looks at Edward and Bella, "either of you going to be a problem? You've been pretty quiet."

Edwards shakes his head. "No, I'm actually looking forward to seeing Seth," he says with a small smile. He doesn't mind admitting he's missed the smaller werewolf. Seth has a special place in his heart because he was the first person, with the only exception of Bella, that treated him kindly without a care of his nature.

Bella shrugs, still trying to process the fact that Jake was going to marry the dark haired wizard. "Not at all, I'm interested in meeting more of you people."

Harry ignores the slightly condescending tone and turns back to Jake. "I'm going to let Hermione know we're going to have company." Jake just nods with a curious look on his face.

Harry murmurs something and his Patronus bursts forth, he leans forward slightly as if he's speaking into the wolf's misty ear. "Hermione, we're bringing some... friends. Don't panic, but they're vampires. Just let everyone know and we'll be there shortly." He flicks his wrist and the wolf runs off towards the house in a playful gallop.

"Okay, that was fucking cool," Emmett says watching the misty form leave. He isn't all that surprised it was a wolf, either. It just seemed to fit Harry. He looks over to see Jake looking at Harry with a really sappy expression on his face. It's adorable.

Jake nods absently, his eyes on Harry. "I didn't know you could like send messages with them."

"Oh yeah. Very handy that. An excellent way to ensure you're getting them from the right person," Harry says quietly. Mobile reception is nil this deep in the woods, he's glad he remembered the patronus. "You can't duplicate someone's Patronus," He says at Jake's intrigued expression. "Used it a lot... before," he says with a quick peek behind him. He only sees curiosity but thankfully no one asks for further details.

"Oh," Jake says and reaches out to pull Harry to his side, not even pausing in his steps. Once he saw that sad expression and the use of the word 'before' he realizes what Harry means and can't stop himself from comforting Harry. "How long will it take to deliver?"

"Pretty much instantly. It'll only go to Hermione. I figured she'd freak out the least." As soon as Harry finishes his sentence, a silver otter comes bounding towards him. He grins when the otter floats in the air in front of him and glares at him, Hermione's voice yelling at him a moment later.

"Harry! How can you say 'vampire' and 'don't panic' in the same sentence!" There is an audible huff, which frankly is too adorable coming from a floating silver otter. "Luna agrees that I shouldn't panic, but I'm not... What? Oh fine!" There is a pause and the otter just scampers around for a few moments. "We'll have tea ready." The otter sends a stern look at Harry before it dissolves.

Jake snickers. "She's too much," he says fondly. He turns and grins at the vampires following behind them in a small cluster. "Just so you know, my pack is going to be there as well as more like him," he nods at Harry, "and they all can use their wands very well. So. You know."

Emmett raises his hands and grins, "I'm a good boy. I'll behave." He rubs his hands together excitedly. Who knew that a hunt in the woods would lead to such a fun development?

Jake rolls his eyes and continues on, chewing his bottom lip harder as they near the house and hopes that he isn't making a very big mistake.

~oOo~

Seth wanders into the kitchen with a grumbling stomach and a craving for soda. He pauses when he sees Joe sitting at the table, lounging back and nursing a beer with a soft smile on his face. He grins.

"Going out?" he aks when he notices how Joe is dressed.

Joe nods. "Yeah, just—" He sighs and his smile grows for some odd reason, "Waiting on Draco to get ready." He's surprised he's only been waiting 20 minutes. He very nearly raced up the steps to corner Draco in the shower at least half a dozen times. He kicks out a chair, inviting Seth to sit, feeling both grateful and annoyed for the distraction.

Seth grabs a bag of chips and a soda before he sits in the chair. "Lookin' good," he says and whistles. "Where you goin'?" he asks, pulling the chips open.

"Not sure yet." Joe shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. He notices Seth looking at him strangely and swallows before poking Seth in the shoulder, "What's up, man?"

Seth shrugs and steals a sip of Joe's beer, grimacing slightly at the taste of it. "Nasty," he stays and sticks out his tongue before hurriedly taking a few glugs of soda. He burps and grins. "I was wondering..." He looks at Joe sheepishly, "and you don't have to answer if you don't wanna." Joe twirls his hand in a 'go on' gesture and takes a long pull on his beer. "Um, did you like guys before you imprinted?" He stuffs chips into his mouth, unmindful of the crumbs sprinkling his shirt and pants.

Joe snorts his beer and sits forward with a cough. "What the fuck, man?" He laughs and gets up to get some napkins. He frowns slightly at the wet spot on his shirt. Shit; he doesn't want to change.

"Not that I mind, but why do you ask?" He looks Seth over, he never once got the impression Seth was into guys. Not just his nearly obsessive chasing of girls, but the guy was genuinely a lover of women in every way.

Seth shrugs. "I don't know, I was just wonderin'. I didn't think _either_ of you guys were into guys and then bam! You both imprint on a guy." He fidgets slightly. He really doesn't have any problems with Joe and Jake being gay, Draco and Harry were really cool guys. Not to mention it leaves more girls for him. But he really hadn't known before all this happened that either of them swung that way. He's more than a little nervous to think he'd imprint on a guy now too.

He snorts, trying to hide an unmanly giggle; it almost seems like the way Jake's pack is going. When Joe raises an eyebrow at him and his mouth thins slightly, Seth waves his hands around. "I'm totally cool with you guys being gay, you know that. So, it's not like that."

Joe huffs and dabs at his wet shirt again. He does know that. Seth doesn't bat an eye at either couple, even when they were inappropriately close, but he still feels the need to give him a hard time.

"I'm pretty sure the same goes for Jake, but yeah, I was looking at guys way before I met Draco." He smirks, "If you were older, I would have totally hit on you." It was easy enough to hide when they ran around as a pack; he was always sure to lock away all of those thoughts and feelings. He wasn't ever ashamed, it was just private. He almost regrets it now in the face of Seth's questions.

Seth sits up straighter in his chair and grins. "Really?" His brows scrunch together as he thinks about that. He's not uncomfortable knowing that, flattered actually, and he winks playfully at Joe. "Well, too bad Draco would hex off your dick if you did now."

Joe laughs and nods, a little surprised Seth didn't freak out. He knows Draco wouldn't really do anything to hurt him beyond a hissy fit. "True." He sits back down after getting a fresh beer. "So, what, you scared you'd all of a sudden turn gay now that you're in Jake's pack?"

Seth nods, completely serious. "Something like that." He flips Joe the finger when he laughs at him. "Shut up, man. It's a valid concern." He tucks a few chips in his mouth, jerking the bag away when Joe makes to take some.

"You ever check out a guy before?" Joe asks, highly amused when Seth sits back to actually think about it instead of immediately shouting 'no'.

"Not that I can remember," Seth says seriously. He's looked at other guys but not in the way he knows Joe means; he's done it more like as checking out the competition. For him, it's the luscious soft curves of a woman that turns him on. He grins; the only thing he shares with Joe is that he's also an ass man. Nothing beats a nice shapely rear. Female rear, but still. "So...?"

" _So_ ," Joe rolls his eyes and slaps Seth on the shoulder. "You're not gonna turn gay, man. If it wasn't there before, you're not gonna just suddenly want cock. Besides, I'm pretty sure Leah ain't looking at girls."

Seth grins widely. "I wasn't _worried_ but I was just wondering..." He stares off, lost in thought a moment. The subject settled, he's able to think of other things. "You think that Pansy girl is ever gonna pull the stick outta her ass?"

He's no longer openly flirting with the witch and he was getting annoyed with her continued attitude. He doesn't get pissed easily and he had nearly lashed out when she had given little Teddy a nasty look and muttered 'wolf spawn' under her breath. He nearly phased in front of her, hoping she'd piss herself or run screaming from the house.

"Dunno." Joe scowls and lowers his beer bottle with more force than he intends. "I hope so," he mutters lowly. He absently picks at the corner of the label on the bottle. "If it weren't for Draco, I'd probably have done something I wouldn't be proud of by now." He was raised not to hit girls and he had never been tempted before he'd met Pansy Parkinson.

He sighs and closes his eyes, "I gotta have Draco talk to her, man. I don't think anyone but him can stand her and I'm sick of having to put up with her shit."

Seth relaxes and shakes the bag of chips over his mouth, catching the last of the crumbs. "Good," he says, crunching the last few crumbs loudly. He didn't want to be the one to talk to Draco about his friend. He hopes Joe walks away from that conversation with all his parts intact. "If he gets pissed, just do that thing he likes." Joe raises an eyebrow in question, watching as Seth's whole face flushes and he raises his hands. "I don't know what that _is_ , I'm just sayin' do it." He knows there has to be _something_ and he can only imagine.

Joe sits up, his nose twitching. "What the fuck..." He jumps up from his chair.

Seth follows, mostly out of curiosity, until he also smells something. Something familiar.

Vampires.

Seth grins; he can't help it. The scents are familiar. He's actually missed some of those blood suckers! He's able to recognize most of the scents but one is kinda familiar yet different at the same time. As he hurries through the living room with Joe, Hermione calls out to them.

He nearly ignores her in his excitement, but he pauses. "What's up?"

Hermione sits up and squares her shoulders. "Harry said they were bringing some... people over."

Joe and Seth both look at each other before both turn to look at Hermione, grins on their faces. "People," Seth deadpans.

"Well," Hermione fidgets, her fingers worrying a strand of Luna's hair. "Not _people_ , exactly. I think he said, erm..." She bites her lip and looks to Luna. She frowns, Luna is smiling and nodding at Seth. "Vampires," she says with a sigh. "Harry said they were bringing vampires." Seth pumps a fist in the air and makes a loud whoop, confusing Hermione so much her mouth drops open. "This is good news?"

Seth shrugs. "I know them, so... yeah, kinda." He looks at Joe expectantly. "You?"

"No," Joe shakes his head. "But if they're coming with Harry and Jake, I ain't too worried. Either one of them can defend themselves against a vampire, right?"

Seth scratches the back of his neck, suddenly unsure about Harry's abilities. He glances briefly at Hermione. "Well, Jake for sure but I don't know about Harry."

"Oh yes," Hermione nods, sliding her wand out from her sleeve and wiggling it before returning it where it was. "He can. We've met some before."

Seth grins. "There. See? All is well! Let's go!" Seth says and runs through the doors leading outside and stands in the middle of the Quidditch pitch, bouncing from one foot to the other as he waits. "What's taking so long?"

Joe joins him a moment later and claps him on the shoulder. "Patience, grasshopper." Joe taps his nose and winks, "I've got a wicked nose, so it'll be another moment."

As soon as Seth sees a group of people pass the line of trees, he phases into a wolf and races over.

Emmett notices the familiar wolf bounding towards them first and braces himself as the wolf runs straight at him. He lowers his body and as soon as Seth leaps, he reaches up and catches him. Seth yips happily and licks his face like a puppy, forcing a laugh out of Emmett.

"Hey Seth," he says as he puts the wolf down.

Seth jumps around in a circle, barking excitedly, greeting each of the vampires before coming to a stop in front of Bella. His brown eyes widen comically and he whips his head around to Edward. _Bella?_ he asks mentally.

Seth's shock and confusion is evident to Jasper and he's aware of Seth's surprise. He's reminded how isolated they've been since Edward's wedding and Bella's turning.

Edward nods and tries not to smile. He still doesn't like what happened but he'd never regret having Bella with him. "Long story, Seth. I promise there was no other way."

 _Alright_ , Seth mutters mentally. He approaches Bella carefully, unsure if she'd be scared of him or not. Apparently, she isn't; she leans down and gently hugs him around his furry neck as soon as he gets close enough. _Tell Bella hi! I would phase but I don't want to be naked_. He's glad he can't blush as a wolf, because the idea of being naked in front of Bella would have his whole _body_ turning red. He glares when Jasper laughs at his embarrassment. _And tell Jasper to shut up_ , he whines.

Edward just smiles and nods. "Bella, Seth says hi. He'd greet you as himself but—" He waves a hand at Seth, "He's without clothing at the moment." He doesn't pass on his message to Jasper, not in the least wanting his brother to be annoyed with him. Bella giggles and Seth's head whips around at the sound, entranced by the musical sound.

Edward frowns at the images and thoughts flashing through Seth's head. "Back off, pup," he says lowly.

 _Sorry!_ Seth yips and steps back. _I'm gonna go... get dressed_.

Seth runs back towards the house, skidding to a stop at the closed patio door. He grumbles when he realizes he's going to have to scratch at it like a damn house dog. He doesn't even get to raise his paw before Luna skips over and opens the door with an airy "Hi Seth". His mouth opens, in what he hopes she takes as the smile he intends, and he runs upstairs.

He phases and quickly finds some clothes. He doesn't like Bella _like that_ but her laugh was just... mesmerizing. He couldn't help it. He groans and buries his face in his hands; now Edward is going to skin him or something. He got along with the vampire before and he doesn't want Edward to treat him like he used to treat Jake.

Emmett watches Seth bound towards the house with a laugh before turning and noticing Joe. "You're new," he says and offers his hand. He grins when the other werewolf takes it without hesitation and gives him two pumps before letting go. "Emmett Cullen," he says pointing to himself.

Joe copies the move, with a matching grin. "Joe Riverstone." He nods at each of the other gathered vampires, who are all standing further back and looking at him with uncertainty. Once he gives them a small wave, a blonde one steps forward.

"Jasper Whitlock." He cautiously extends his hand like Emmett did. It is still very odd for him to be so cordial to werewolves. He's calmed by the fact that he only feels curiosity coming from Joe. Amusement mixes in and Jasper realizes he's still holding Joe's hand. He lets go with a sheepish smile and turns slightly so Edward can approach. He raises an eyebrow at his brother when he just stands back with a possessive arm around Bella's waist.

"Hello," Edward says with a slight nod. "I'm Edward Cullen. My wife, Bella Cullen," he says with a smirk as he gives Bella a squeeze.

Joe nods politely and Jasper smiles at the surge of amusement he feels from Joe. "Nice to meet you." He nods to Bella and Edward with a polite smile. He turns to Harry, "Can you by any chance let your friends know it's safe to come out?" Harry just nods and heads towards the house.

As soon as Joe is sure Harry is out of earshot, he turns to Edward, "What's the situation here?"

Jake's attention slowly returns from his perusal of Harry's ass, Joe's serious tone and sudden taller stance catching his attention, but looks towards Edward as well. They hadn't gotten into it very much before and he's curious as well.

"What do you mean?" Edward asks after being stared at by the two werewolves for longer than he is comfortable with. He's still recovering from the very graphic images from Jake and hostile thoughts from Joe. He really doesn't think the other werewolf will be able to harm him, but he can grudgingly respect his desire to keep his pack safe.

"Pretty simple question, man," Joe says and casually rocks back on his heels. "I'm aware you were the major problem between your group and ours. Or maybe just had a bug up your ass about Jake. Either way," he shrugs, showing how much importance he puts on the 'why' of the situation and pins the vampire with a look. "Is that still a problem?"

Edward pauses and isn't surprised that Joe's thoughts are exactly what he's just said, so he just shakes his head. "No." He doesn't think he has to mention that he's very over his jealousy of Jake. Bella is completely his and Jake is obviously over any infatuation he might have once had. "We're here in an effort to re-establish a social relationship."

Joe snorts an amused laugh and turns to Jakje, jerking a thumb at Edward, "Does he always talk like that?"

Emmett, Jake and Jasper all snicker and nod in answer. "Yeah," Jake says, grinning for a moment. "You get used to it." He shoots a grin at Edward. "Well, I'm glad to hear we ain't gonna have any more problems." He briefly glances at Bella. "I guess we can go in if no one freaks out when Harry and his friends come out."

There are nods all around and everyone just stands quietly as they wait for Harry. Joe can't help wonder if Draco is ready and his thoughts wander to Draco in the shower. He notices Jasper's eyes widen suddenly as he looks away in obvious embarrassment; Joe gets the feeling he'd be blushing madly if he was able to. He doesn't care if Edward is embarrassed by his nearly pornographic mental images and thoughts, but he lets his thoughts drift away from a soaked blonde anyway.

He grins and steps closer to the blonde vampire. "Are you the one subjected to emotions and shit?"

Jasper laughs softly at the word choice and nods. "I am," he says.

"Well, in that case, I apologize now and forever in the future for what I put you through whenever my mind wanders to that dirty place."

Jasper chuckles and waves a hand. "I'm basically used to it, but the suddenness and... intensity is only what affected me."

"Uh huh," Joe grins and clucks his tongue. "But, yeah, again; sorry. It's not something that I can really control or will go away. It's going to be a lot worse when he's anywhere near me."

Jasper just nods, trying not to show his surprise at Joe's use of the word 'he'. "I'll consider myself warned. If it's really that bad, I just will keep a healthy distance from you."

"Cool." Joe nods, a serious look on his face before he grins widely again. "Does it bother you?" He doesn't give a shit if he's bothered by the fact he's with Draco and he's sure Jasper understands he meant his... ability. The way the blonde vampire squirms briefly is oddly cute.

Jasper cocks his head slightly as he considers the question. "Most times, yes. It does come in handy on occasion, but otherwise it's downright inconvenient and uncomfortable." His face screws up, "I hate large crowds," he says with a grimace once more before his face smooths out. "One of the worst parts about having to blend in at a high school."

First, of course, is being surround by so many warm bodies with beating hearts.

Joe nods thoughtfully, his arousal spiking dangerously when he catches Draco's scent coming towards him. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes for a moment to savor the clean, musky unique scent that is Draco. He sends an apologetic smile to Jasper and turns around to greet his blonde as he walks over with Harry.

"Hey love," he says and grabs Draco around the waist as soon as he's close enough. He sighs quietly when Draco smiles at him and presses close. He was worried Draco was going to pout and be a brat for awhile because of what happened in the kitchen; he's glad that isn't the case.

He nods his head towards Jasper, "Draco, this is Jasper."

Draco nods and looks at Jasper intently; taking in all his features and body language. The man looks decidedly uncomfortable and this both amuses and sets him at ease. For some reason, an awkward vampire just tickles him.

"Hello," he drawls and extends a hand finally. Jasper shakes it and he's momentarily surprised at the cold grip. "Is there a reason you look torn between rubbing up against me and like you bit your tongue?" he asks, unable to help himself.

Joe snorts a laugh and slaps Draco's hip lightly, "Leave him alone, love. The poor man is an... empath," he smiles when Jasper nods; it's close enough. "He's overwhelmed by the insane amount of lust pouring off of me at the moment." He nuzzles Draco's ear, lightly nibbling his earlobe. "And no doubt you as well." He restrains the urge to slide his hand around and cup Draco's denim glad arousal, but just barely.

"Oh," Draco says breathlessly before gently shoving Joe back, not wanting to fondle each other in front of strangers. "That sounds bloody terrible," he says looking at Jasper with genuine sympathy.

It only slightly explains the slightly constipated look on the vampire's face though. Draco almost cares if he's uncomfortable with his intimate closeness to Joe. He cocks his head slightly and realizes the blonde vampire's face is slowly relaxing as he cautiously inhales a breath. Ah. He remembers Harry telling him one of them isn't as used to not feeding off humans.

Jasper nods and smiles. "It can be, yes."

He takes a moment to study the man in front of him. It's not hard to tell he's from refined breeding and old money; even dressed in casual clothing. It's in his tone, mannerisms and how he carries himself. The blonde reminds him a lot of Rosalie and he mentally smiles, looking forward to when the two meet. It'll either be like watching two halves met or two wet cats stuck in a box. Draco carries a similar 'otherness' to his scent as Harry does and Jasper allows his shoulders to relax with relief; he feels no urge to attack Draco.

Draco purses his lips and shares a brief look with Harry, who just blinks at him, not having heard the conversation. "Would you like it to go away?" he asks finally. He's mentally going through any spells, or even magical objects, that might work to dampen the vampire's sensitivity to others' feelings. He can think of several potions, but he's quite sure they'd be ineffective for a vampire.

Jasper's eyes widen slightly and he has to think about it. "As I was telling Joe, it does prove useful at times." He can't help wonder if the magic they can do would be able to help him control his ability. He doesn't dare ask, though; he doesn't even know these wizards and asking for a favor like that just seems completely wrong.

"That's not a yes _or_ a no," Draco says and winks at Jasper before turning to place a kiss on Joe's neck, sending a brief apologetic look at Jasper. "I'm ready when you are, love."

Joe nods. "Jasper." He holds out his hand and shakes again. "It was nice meeting you, man. Don't be a stranger." He eases Draco over to Emmett, "Draco, this is Emmett. Emmett, this is Draco." He tries to keep it short and sweet, but Emmett doesn't seem to want to allow it.

He looks at Joe's arm around Draco's waist with a grin, "Hey, nice to meet you," he says as he shakes Draco's hand enthusiastically.

He takes a look at the blonde guy in front of him and grins. Even in the casual clothes, it's easy to spot a snob when he sees one. Rosalie is probably going to enjoy this dude. He wags a finger between Draco and Joe, "I take it you two are together." Joe and Draco nod at the same time, the blonde with an eye roll. "So, and please don't take this the wrong way, are all you guys gay?"

On the way to the house, Jake had said his pack was small; just himself, Joe, Seth and Leah. He can't help grinning, all the werewolves he'd gotten along with the best were now in one solid little pack. Life is good.

Joe laughs and shakes his head, the question so close to Seth's earlier one he can't even begin to be offended. "Nah, Seth is a skirt chaser."

"Cool, cool," Emmett says and leers at Draco a moment later. "So, you gotta wand, too?"

Draco snorts a laugh at the innuendo. "I do and I'm not about to whip it out and wave it about."

He grins, feeling surprised it was so easy to get along with and like vampires. He had nearly hexed Harry when the great git had said he'd invited vampires over. After a brief summary, he understood they weren't in danger nor were they going to have any difficulties should they have to kill one. Harry had nearly killed one earlier, Draco snorted when Harry sounded sheepish. He rolled his eyes; only Harry bloody Potter would feel bad about killing the undead.

He eyes Emmett critically. "You be a good lad and I might show you later."

Emmett laughs and waves a hand at Draco, "Fine fine. I see how it is." He grins and makes a shooing gesture, "Off with you, I heard you have plans. We'll have lots of time to hang out later."

Draco just winks and pulls Joe away before he can be dragged to the sour faced couple standing behind everyone. It might seem rude, but he really has no desire to meet either of them at the moment. "Let's go. Feed me, love," he says imperiously and steers Joe towards his car.

"Yes, sir," Joe says and does a little mock salute. He grins as he leads Draco over to the passenger side and opens the door for him. He helps him in with a smile and slaps Draco lightly when the blonde rolls his eyes at him and mutters "dork".

"No, I'm a fucking gentleman," Joe admonishes with a wink, sliding behind the wheel and starts the car. He waits until Draco buckles himself in before speeding off. "We'll eat first," he says, mostly thinking out loud.

Draco shifts over until he can grab Joe's free hand and holds it in both of his. "Sure," he says with a shrug. "Just nothing too fancy."

Joe spares a second to glance at Draco with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he says his voice heavy with shocked amusement. Since when did Draco avoid something fancy?

"Shut up." Draco pouts and runs a hand over himself, "I'm hardly dressed for fancy." He raises an eyebrow and slowly looks Joe over. "And, while you look positively _edible_ , you aren't either."

Joe snickers and wishes he could pat Draco's leg, "It's alright, love. It won't be too fancy."

Draco smiles and settles back, content and pleased to be going out with Joe. It isn't often he feels the desire to go out and he's ridiculously pleased Joe is taking him out without protest or complaints. He's not sure if Joe planning it without his input is a good thing but he's willing to give Joe the benefit of the doubt. Joe knows what he likes. He sighs; he can really get used to this.

They ride in comfortable silence for awhile and he notices Joe sneaking glances at him, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel occasionally.

"What's up, love?"

"Can I ask a favor?" Joe asks, keeping his eyes on the road, thankful for the distraction.

"Sure, anything," Draco says quickly.

"Can you... talk to Pansy?"

Draco frowns slightly, already having an idea what Joe means. "About what?"

'Not being a complete bitch,' Joe thinks and sighs and wishes he could close his eyes. "About her attitude," he says aloud. He sneaks a peek a Draco and is relieved to see only anticipation on the blonde's face. "I know she's your friend and all but—"

Draco cuts him off with a harsh laugh. "She is."

Joe hunches his shoulders, feeling bad for badmouthing Draco's friend. He doesn't have many and Joe feels terrible for not liking the witch. "I'm sorry."

"Joe." Draco strokes the back of Joe's hand, "Don't apologize. I'm annoyed with _her_ , not you. I know she's a right bitch." He nods when Joe's head swivels briefly to gape at him. "I do. I already spoke to her about how she acts and apparently it didn't sink in," he says with a long sigh and rubs a finger in between his brows, smoothing away a scowl. "I will bring it up again."

Joe sits quietly for a long moment. "Do you think it would help?"

Draco shrugs with one shoulder and leans back in his seat. "I don't know," he mutters. "I can only hope. Otherwise, she'll have to stay somewhere else until the wedding."

"What? No, I didn't mean that—" Joe says, trying to sound like he doesn't want it to happen.

Draco huffs a laugh, seeing through Joe's words. "Sure, you don't." He laughs and squeezes Joe's hand. "It's alright, love. I already warned her it could happen. I just can't have her there making _everyone_ miserable." He sighs and looks out the window for a few moments before turning back to Joe. "She hasn't had the same experiences I have, she hasn't grown to see how wrong some of her views are," he says.

He runs a hand through his hair. "I don't know if I can get her to stop antagonizing everyone," he finally admits. "She about woke the dead with her shriek when I told her Remus was staying there." He shakes his head sadly.

"Does she not know the rest of us are werewolves?" Joe asks, surprised. He briefly allows himself to wonder if he'd be as enamored of his Draco if he acted more like Pansy. Some of his snobby ways are actually quite endearing, but he doesn't think he could handle it if Draco was flat out rude or nasty like Pansy could be. He doesn't want to admit he's relieved he hadn't met Draco a few years ago.

"No, I got the feeling Jake didn't want me to say and I really don't want her to know unless she can react properly." He smiles over at Joe, "I would hate to have to hex a bitch for bad mouthing my man."

Joe laughs, enjoying Draco's words entirely too much. "I wouldn't mind seeing it." He wiggles his eyebrows at Draco and gives him a wink. It amuses him when Draco said something in that posh voice that just didn't fit. He's definitely been hanging around Seth too much if he's already talking about 'hexing a bitch', he muses with a grin.

"Anyway, I don't expect miracles. I don't think any of us do, especially Harry and his friends, but it would be nice to not feel the strong urge to choke her every time she opens her mouth."

Draco snorts a laugh and nods, "Even I have the urge, love. But I'll see what I can do." He sighs and leans his head back as he closes his eyes. He knows they're nearly in town and he doesn't want to be annoyed when they get there. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

Joe glances over and grins. "It's not a surprise or anything. I was just going to gorge myself at that Italian place and then," He glances over and rakes his eyes along Draco's body heatedly, "make out like horny teenagers at a movie."

Draco laughs and brings Joe's hand to his lips to kiss it. "Sounds perfect, love."

It was a perfect night.

Dinner was wonderful and fun. Draco had already tried Italian food but declared gnocchi as fantastic, even though Joe made a face at the little lumps of pasta in the white sauce. Draco just slurped the thick white sauce off his spoon obscenely in retaliation. Joe's heated gaze nearly made him come in his pants but he didn't call the gnocchi 'gross' every time Draco ate one after that.

The movie was even more fun. They'd gotten there just in time to get the last showing of some action movie. Draco couldn't help wrapping himself around Joe as he bought the tickets. The ticket girl's eyes widened and a blush exploded over her face when she saw. Draco smirked and gently stroked a hand over Joe's clothed bulge, biting back a laugh when the girls wide eyes eagerly tracked the movement, making Joe jump and look at Draco in surprise.

He later got yelled at because Joe didn't ever want to be exposed to the smell of a teenaged girl's sudden arousal ever again. The wrinkled nose and horrified expression only made Draco laugh and Joe ended up chasing him back to the car, yelling out each and every delicious way he was going to punish Draco for his misdeeds.

Draco was no longer laughing by the time they got into the car, instead attacking Joe's mouth and sliding into his lap. He ended up honking the horn with his arse and scaring him enough to yelp and get back into his own seat for the entire car ride home.

By the time they got back home, Draco was tired and thoroughly ready to just snuggle up in bed with Joe. But he shuffled off to make tea and give Pansy a talking to, instead. Joe's grateful smile and brief heated kiss made it worthwhile, though.

One way or another, that bint is going to be nice even if Draco has to slip a potion into her tea. He smirks; a viable option if Pansy doesn't cooperate.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry walks down the hallway, his mind mostly on his morning tea.

It's been busy, almost crazy, the past few weeks. He can't find it in himself to be surprised he is socializing with vampires. Honestly, with everything else that's happened to him, hanging out with a bunch of so-called vegetarian vampires doesn't really seem all that odd.

Jake had stayed home from work the first time the vampire coven visited, uneasy and not willing to trust the coven to behave at first; jumping and twitching whenever one of the vampires moved. Harry was pretty sure Jake was a breath away from phasing when Emmett had picked him up in a—albeit gentle—bear hug.

Harry concluded, mostly by the other werewolves' reaction of rolled eyes and shaking heads, that Jake was only reacting that way because he was still unsure how the vampires would be around Harry and his friends. Luna had finally just rolled her eyes at Jake and called him a 'silly werewolf'.

She proceeded to completely demolish the sofa with a quick flick of her wand, putting it to rights a mere moment later with a sheepish smile at Harry, showing Jake she was not defenseless. Jake had huffed and gone to work after solemn promises from each and every wizard and witch that they'd keep their wands 'at the ready'.

Even Harry had snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes; of course they were never without their wands.

Once the rest of the vampire 'family' came over in a large, quiet group, Harry found himself enjoying their company quite a lot. Jasper's wife, Alice, was simply adorable. For a vampire. She and Luna squealed like young girls at Christmas and hugged each other, whispering as they wandered off giggling and leaving their respective partners to stare after them with bemused expressions on their faces.

Jasper spent most of his time quietly observing but interacted with anyone that approached him. He got more comfortable when everyone did the same blocking thing that Harry had done in the woods. He hadn't asked them to but he was grateful for it.

Even some of the wolves had managed to be blocked; which Jasper was grateful for when it came to the mated pairs. He didn't entirely enjoy the near constant state of arousal they seemed to exude. Alice was only accommodating to a degree...

He was most comfortable around Seth, the bubbly young werewolf seemed to be the most soothing on the empathetic vampire; he wasn't always exuding lust but just general happiness and mirth that Jasper happily soaked himself in. He was fascinated with the wizarding chess set and would spend many hours playing Neville while they quietly talked.

Hermione, of course, had whipped out a notebook—from Merlin alone knows where—and took it upon herself to question the vampires. She was fascinated with their lifestyle and lamented that more vampires didn't follow their ways. She would still occasionally look at Carlisle with wonder, amazed the vampire was a doctor. She'd spent most of her time talking with Carlisle, the father figure of the coven. His warm amber eyes lit up when he saw an intellectual equal in the bushy haired witch.

They spent most of the time with their heads together, speaking quietly, as Hermione scribbled neat notes. She'd been momentarily saddened when Carlisle requested the information not be made public, but easily got over it when she realized that meant 'Muggles aren't to know'. Carlisle proved to be just as curious none of the vampires had the slightest interest in their magic infused blood, causing another furious round of scribbling as the pair wandered off to the library.

Esme, the mother figure of the coven, was beside herself with happiness when all of them embraced her fully. (Harry was strongly reminded of Mrs. Weasley; it was bittersweet.) She had admitted to missing making large meals for the young werewolves and beamed a happy smile she was able to do so again. While it was a smaller pack, they still ate enough to keep her busy trying new recipes.

She came over frequently to help Harry cook meals, usually watching everyone eat with a smile on her face and flitting around getting everyone seconds—or thirds, in some cases. Seth had hugged the small vampire, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around with a happy whoop, when he saw her in the kitchen. His honest 'I've missed you Missus C,' made Harry sure the vampire would have blushed with pleasure if she were able to. As it was, her eyes were warm as she watched Seth inhale a large stack of her homemade cookies, spewing crumbs as he gushed praise.

Emmett got along with everyone. He formed an almost instant friendship with Joe, bonding over their respective blondes. He had introduced his wife, Rosalie, to the group with little reluctance once he'd met Draco and saw how _that_ snooty blonde was adored. It was clear Emmett loved his Rosalie but he was also very aware of her personality.

Everyone rolled their eyes and snickered when she immediately hit it off with Draco and Pansy, the trio sitting together and looking through catalogs, gossiping or helping Draco with the wedding plans. Between the group of them, Draco was soon smirking smugly, declaring the wedding 'nearly worthy'.

Harry gladly extended wedding invitations to the entire Cullen clan, sending one for Edward and Bella with them, and they had all happily accepted once they made sure there were no humans invited.

No one was all that surprised or put out when Edward and Bella visited less frequently. Seth seemed to be the only one that really enjoyed being around them. Teddy even wrinkled his nose at the couple and said they were 'borwing' when they refused every offer he tried to get them to play with him. It was hard to ignore the slightly wrinkled nose on Bella, but it didn't go unnoticed.

Harry had hoped they'd try a little harder to see Jake, but none of them seemed all that bothered by the steady decline in their interactions. Harry hoped they enjoyed the solitude when everyone else visited. He'd rather think they were enjoying an empty house as opposed to just not wanting to be around them. Jake didn't care, he'd shrugged and waved it off; he had enough vampire company without missing the presence of Bella and Edward.

Harry's thoughts wandered to Pansy. He isn't sure what Draco said to Pansy last week—without the aid of a potion, he thought with a grin—but it seems to have helped her start treating everyone with politeness and something almost close to warmth. Gradually. She had stomped off in a huff and didn't leave her room the first day but slowly she came around and made an effort.

Yesterday she'd actually helped Harry and Esme in the kitchen. Her face was in a near-constant frown and she messed up more than she helped, claiming it was the Muggle method, of course, not her complete inability to do anything manually, but Harry had smiled and thanked her nonetheless. It was incredibly strange to see her in an apron but Harry was not going to be the one responsible for Pansy's backslide. Pansy was polite, even nice, to Esme.

Harry finds himself cautiously optimistic to how Pansy will react to the knowledge of being in a house full of werewolves should she be told.

He passes Teddy's room and peeks in as he usually does and comes to a halt when his brain finally processes what his eyes had seen.

Jake. With Teddy. Playing.

It's not the first time he's watched Jake play with Teddy, but usually they aren't alone in Teddy's room. It's enlightening to see how Jake plays with Teddy when no one else is around to see, or possibly mock, him.

A smile grows on Harry's face as he watches Jake playing with Teddy; Jake's sitting on the floor, toys scattered around him as Teddy bounces around him as he holds up toys and chatters away. Jake grabs Teddy around his middle and pulls the giggling child into his lap and starts tickling him before dangling the wriggling child upside down by a firm grip on his waist.

Teddy's giggles reach a near ear splitting level and Harry wonders how he's able to breathe.

As Harry watches, he finds himself surprised when he realizes he's getting turned on. Who would have thought it's a turn on to watch the man you love acting like a big kid? He feels like less of a deviant when there is also a pleasantly tight, warm feeling in his chest.

Well, no, he realizes; It's watching him care for Teddy with obvious enjoyment that's the turn on. It's not hard to imagine Jake being just as attentive and caring with their own child. He didn't think he'd react the same if Jake only played with Teddy. Playing was easy, really. But he's seen his fiancé take care of Teddy in every aspect, even giving him baths. Though, it usually ended with Jake nearly as wet as Teddy and slightly disgruntled.

Even the enchanted rubber ducky didn't keep Teddy from thrashing and complaining about having a bath for very long. Through any task, Jake keeps his cool and always with a look of utter contentment lurking in his eyes.

He's not sure he could ever really convey to Jake how much it means to him that Jake cares for Teddy like that.

For the first time in a long time, Harry finds himself looking forward to the idea of having his own kids. He gave up on the notion when he realized he wouldn't be with a witch; only later learning of many muggle and wizarding methods to have children through a third party. And then, when he learned certain truths from Draco... Well, the whole 'men having babies' idea was hard to grasp until he'd read the many books about it. Graphic pictures, specific spells and potions were hard to refute, though.

He'd been so convinced Draco was having him on.

He never really worried if either of them would be _ready_ for kids, not really, but he doesn't know if it will complicate their relationship since it's still rather new when it first came up. The huge responsibility is still slightly daunting, though.

His smile grows as he watches Teddy talking to Jake with his stuffed kneazle, Simon, held in out front of him. Harry shifts a little closer so he can hear better and nearly snorts a laugh.

"C'mon, Jake!" Teddy pleads, waving Simon tantalizingly in front of Jake. How could _any_ one not do _any_ thing for a chance to cuddle Simon? He doesn't understand why Uncle Jake doesn't relent yet! He's offered his Legos, his desserts for a _week_ , his _entire_ collection of action figures _and_ Simon. Uncle Jake is so greedy!

Jake hums thoughtfully. He grins, as he usually does, when Teddy says his name; it always comes out sounding closer to 'Jack' then it does to 'Jake'. He looks at the waving stuffed cat—or kneazle, or whatever Harry calls it—with amusement. A kid _would_ think that his favorite toy is motivation enough to make him turn into a wolf for his own amusement.

"I don't know, Teddy," he says slowly, only slightly starting to give in to Teddy's pleads. He'd nearly given in with the offer of Teddy's desserts, simply because of the reluctant but determined look on Teddy's face.

"Peas, Jake!" Teddy carefully places Simon back under his arm and gives Uncle Jake his bestest 'gimme-what-I-want-please' face that he can. He pooches out his lower lip and widens his eyes. It _usually_ works on daddy and _always_ on daddy's special friend, Nigel. And it works on everyone else, especially Uncle Harry, almost all the time. He even found Uncle Draco falling for it that time he wanted more caramel popcorn.

He blinks his eyes, hoping to add to the effect. "Peas?" he elongates the 'e', hoping the longer he does it, the more sincere it sounds.

Jake worries his bottom lip, nearly biting it harshly to hold back a smile. God, the kid is good! He doesn't miss the fact that Teddy's hair and eyes have changed to match his exactly, the little manipulator. He nearly said yes the moment his little lip pooched out.

"I really shouldn't turn into the big wolfy, Teddy. I don't think your dad would like it."

In the doorway, Harry covers his mouth with a hand to hold back his laugh and nearly steps in the room to offer his 'peas' next to Teddy or at least to assure Jake that it would be alright with Remus.

Jake is in control when he's a wolf, unlike Remus, and Harry has complete trust in him. Jake could claim it was dangerous, citing Sam as an example, until his tongue fell out. Jake isn't Sam; Jake had been enraged enough times in front of Harry that he knows Jake won't spontaneously phase and maul someone. Least of all little Teddy. Teddy's pleas and attempts to bribe Jake with Simon are too adorable.

He holds in his snort of amusement—and makes a mental note to remember the wide eyes and pooching lip for later use, if needed—when he sees Jake starting to give in.

"Uncle Jake!" Teddy wails, nearly at the point where he's going to stomp his foot and start _demanding_ but he sees Uncle Jake's shoulders drop slightly and a smile tug at the man's lips. Yes! He knows what that means! He doesn't do a celebratory dance yet, just in case Jake changes his mind.

He clasps his hands together and drops down to his knees on the thick carpet. "Peas, Uncle Jake?" He widens his eyes again. Seconds later, he whoops for joy, punching a fist in the air, when Uncle Jake finally nods. He doesn't care that Uncle Jake had huffed or nodded reluctantly. A yes is a yes.

"Oh, alright!" Jake huffs, trying to sound put out. He pauses for a moment, unsure if he should strip naked in front of a kid or not. He nibbles his top lip in thought, completely unaware of Harry a few feet away giggling madly, yet quietly, at his indecision.

Finally he decides.

"OK, um, turn around kiddo," he instructs, twirling a finger in demonstration. "I gotta make sure I don't ruin my shirt. Uncle Harry would yell at me if I ruined the nice shirt he got me."

Teddy nods, eyes wide with excitement and spins around, even if he doesn't understand how turning into a wolfy would hurt Jake's shirt. Daddy doesn't like when he ruins his shirts, either. Or his pants. Or his socks. Uncle Harry is nice but he believes Uncle Jake when he says he'll get in trouble, even though he's not _all that_ convinced adults get into _trouble_.

His bottom wiggles a little in a short victory dance as he claps his hands over his eyes for good measure and yells "Weady, Uncle Jake!"

Jake laughs and quickly takes off his clothes, leaving on his boxer briefs since he's pretty sure being completely naked in front of a little kid is out of the realm of 'OK things to do', even if said kid can't see your junk. He can get more of those with no guilt at all.

He phases and pokes his wet nose into Teddy's armpit from the back and jumps back when Teddy whirls around with a loud, shrieking giggle.

"Uncle Jake!" Teddy breathes and fearlessly approaches the massive wolf that's much bigger than him. Uncle Jake is so big, he barely comes up to his furry elbow! He reaches out a finger and gently touches the nearest thing he can reach, Uncle Jake's elbow and the tip of his tail as it wags towards him and he giggles again.

"You a big wolfy!" he happily informs the wolf with his head back as far as it can go as he stares up at Uncle Jake.

He giggles when Uncle Jake bends his front paws to lower himself, but keeping his rear in the air still, to his level and licks his cheek. "Eww, Jake! Gwoss," Teddy giggles as he wipes his wet cheek. "I can pet?" When the wolf nods with an excited bark, much to his delight, he runs his fingers through the dense, soft fur on Uncle Jake's chest. "Wow," he says in a loud whisper.

He's never seen his daddy as a wolfy but he is sure he wouldn't be as big as Uncle Jake. "Uncle Jake is a pwretty wolfy," he praises and rubs his hand briskly over Uncle Jake's fur again.

Jake yips excitedly and jumps around the room before his gaze lands on the stuffed kneazle, laying forgotten in the excitement. Feeling playful, and letting his wolf have a little fun, Jake pounces and grabs Simon in his teeth.

He growls playfully and shakes the stuffed animal as he leaps around the room. Another playful growl leaves his throat as he tosses the toy into the air and catches it with snap of his jaws.

"Uncle Jake!" Teddy gasps, horrified. He rushes over and taps the large black nose with his small hand, catching the wolf mid play-bow. His hair flashes black and then red. He reaches into Uncle Jake's mouth and pulls Simon to safety. "Bad wolf! No eat Simon!" he scolds and turns his body away slightly from the panting wolf, who's still looking at Simon with interest, keeping Simon as far away as he can.

He giggles when Uncle Jake's furry ears droop with a soft whimper and he hangs his large shaggy head. Teddy inspects Simon carefully, wipes the wolfy drool off on his shirt, and carefully places Simon back on his bed. "You didn' wrip him, so it's alright," he informs the dejected looking wolf, albeit reluctantly.

The novelty of a massive wolf in his room now over, Teddy bounces around and asks Jake, "Can we have pantakes now?" The wolf's large eyes blink and then he nods. Teddy whoops happily and runs from the room, calling over his shoulder. "See you at pantakes, Uncle Jake!" he giggles; he's gonna eat all of the pancakes before Uncle Jake can get any. Uncle Jake will have to have _mushy oatmeal_ ; a fitting punishment for trying to _eat_ Simon. Bad wolfy! He scowls for only a moment before the prospect of pancakes makes his grin return as he carefully makes his way downstairs.

He hops into the kitchen and gives a cheerful "Yay!" as his dad sets a plate of pancakes at his big boy chair. He grins his thanks when he sees his pancakes are already cut up and syruped.

Jake stares after the crazy kid for a moment before he snorts a laugh. His eyes widen when he sees Harry slink around the door frame and step into the room. He quickly phases back and steps over to Harry, completely forgetting that's he's naked.

"Hey," he says. "Uh. I hope it was okay that I did that." He realizes by the amused, and adoring, look on Harry's face that he saw at least some of what happened.

Harry nods, now distracted by Jake's nakedness. He eagerly looks over golden skin, still flushed with Jaks changing. He steps closer and runs a hand down Jake's chest, "It's alright. But you realize," he says quietly and slides his other hand up Jake's chest as well, his fingertips lightly fluttering over peaked nipples then over Jake's defined pectorals. His gaze follows the path of his hands for a moment before looking back up at Jake. "He'll ask for that a lot now, yeah?"

Jake nods, not caring in the least. He pulls Harry closer, nuzzling his face into Harry's neck as Harry's hands slide around to palm his back. He just holds him, inhaling, missing the morning cuddle they usually share since he got up ridiculously early so he could do a wedding errand for Draco. He ended up tinkering at the garage for a bit as well so he wouldn't have to go back later.

He'd been on the way back to bed, hoping to slide in and catch Harry still asleep for a cuddle, when Teddy had called him into his room. It was impossible to ignore Teddy's happy face and bouncing good mood, even at ungodly hours of the morning.

Jake's jaw cracks with a wide yawn and he pouts when Harry's hands stop their trek to his ass, sliding up to knead at his shoulders instead. "Sorry, babe," he murmurs through another yawn. "I was up way too early. Join me in a nap?"

Harry nearly agrees, missing their morning cuddle as well. "I shouldn't," he says with a regretful sigh, his head flopping forward to rest his forehead on Jake's shoulder. "I've got to arrange last minute seating and harass the caterer about the menu," he rolls his eyes. "I don't know why Draco doesn't do just it; he'll just whinge and moan that I'm doing it wrong."

He's not even sure why they need seating arrangements. It isn't as if it's a huge affair. He personally doesn't like the idea of telling people where they can sit, but Draco had looked at him, horrified, when he suggested just letting people sit wherever they want.

Jake snickers and buries his nose in Harry's hair. "Poor baby," he murmurs and nibbles at the tip Harry's ear. "You can't do it later?" he asks hopefully, shifting slightly to press his hips into Harry's. He's really not above playing dirty. He watches as Harry's eye slowly dilate and grins in victory for a moment.

Harry sighs sadly and leans back slightly, a pout on his face. "No," he huffs before his face breaks into a devious little smirk. "But as _soon_ as I'm done, I'm picking up where I left off."

He snakes a hand down Jake's chest, wrapping it around Jake's half hard arousal and lightly stroking as he leans forward and kisses Jake. He lets go with a remorseful sigh, looking at a naked Jake with regret before he waves his fingers at Jake and disappears. He should probably feel like a right pervert for doing that in Teddy's room, but he just can't muster up any regret.

Harry is still grumbling as he stomps down the stairs and enters the kitchen with a pout. He stops in his tracks, eyes growing wide at the scene before him. Hermione, Luna, Leah, Pansy and Draco are all sitting around the table, mugs and magazines in front of them, talking and laughing. Luna is sitting quietly, her hand under the table and probably on Hermione's thigh, but she answers questions from both Draco and Pansy when asked something.

Harry gapes when he sees an actual smile on Pansy's face.

"Harry!"

Harry blinks when he realizes it was Pansy that called him. Cheerfully. She raises a steaming mug and pushes it across the table towards him with a small smile on her face.

He can't help it! Harry points a finger at her and mutters, "Who are you and what have you done with Pansy?" He nearly yells it in his shock. His mind flashes to that muggle movie about body snatchers and his brow furrows slightly as he considers the possibility. His eyes dart to either side of Pansy's chair as if looking for something.

Draco laughs the loudest, his hands actually settling on his stomach as he leans forward slightly. "Hilarious, Potter," he says when he finally gets his breath back. Harry grins at the serious tone, well aware Draco wasn't being sarcastic. He mouths "no pod" a moment later and Harry has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing out loud.

Luna and Hermione are both giggling quietly behind their hands as Leah smirks at a stunned Harry. Leo is even looking at him in amusement. Sodding cat.

Harry smiles sweetly and proceeds to raise his middle finger and circle it so everyone can see it. Leah is the only one that returns the gesture, making Harry snicker and wink at her as he sits at the table.

He's actually surprised not to see Alice or Rosalie at the table; both had quickly taken to helping with the wedding plans. Alice actually scared him more than Draco. Draco at least took breaks to eat, sleep or shag Joe. And he's heard her say things like 'live band' and 'flown in from France'. He doesn't care about the expense, but just the nearly demonic look in their eyes made him fear for his sanity and sense of peace. After the thorough description he was given of the wedding she planned for Edward and Bella, he isn't sure what to expect.

Mostly, he just lets them all to it as long as they don't expect too much input from him.

Pansy scoffs and waves a hand at Harry, "Oh, shut up."

She doesn't even bother to admonish him or claim his reactions are unreasonable. It's a very recent thing and she's nearly embarrassed at her earlier actions. Draco had a long talk with her and at first, she'd scoffed at him. A _long_ talk that would probably have made a Hufflepuff blush.

She'd needed some time to herself to think and closed herself off in her room with a huff. It wasn't easy to just change but Draco didn't ask her to change, she finally realized. He had only asked that she open her mind, and maybe her heart, to something different. Draco had pointed out, with that smug little look she abhorred and adored at the same time, that he wouldn't be so close to people that weren't worthy.

It was loving and snobbish all at the same time and she'd been baffled at how he so easily combined the two.

She _can_ be friendly, she isn't really a cold person; she just never showed Harry or his friends that she was capable of it before. They only saw her looking at them with scorn or disdain; naturally it would come as a surprise to them that she did indeed know how to smile or make a joke. She probably isn't ever going to be as relaxed as her darling Draco had become, but she intends to work on it.

She tried to hide her surprise when she had actually _talked_ to Luna and found the witch quite intelligent and funny (remembering too late Luna was in Ravenclaw; for good reason, it seemed). Hermione wasn't the know-it-all she'd always assumed her to be. She is quite intelligent (and willing to show it, but not insufferably so), as well as warm and gracious. Fiercely loyal, as well, which Pansy respected. Leah, and her little cat, are both rather rude and off-putting at first but Pansy wasn't deterred. All it took was one crude joke and Leah wasn't looking ready to tear her skin off in strips and feed them to her cat anymore. She is still getting used to the brash way Leah spoke, but under all the blue language, Leah is funny and wickedly clever.

"Thanks," Harry says as he finally takes the mug Pansy offered. "So," he says after he takes a small sip and looks around the table. "How's it going?"

Luna bounces in her chair a little. "It's going to be wonderful, Harry!" she gushes happily. She leans forward and pulls a paper out from under a stack and pushes it closer to Harry.

There are pieces of fabric and splotches of paint on it. He runs a finger over the fabric and nearly groans when he realizes it's probably silk or some other expensive textile. He doesn't care; it feels really nice whatever it is.

"Grey, blue and black?" Harry asks, looking at the paper. It's an improvement on his hastily recommend color scheme. He blinks when everyone, including Leo—sodding cat!—rolls their eyes at him with a snicker.

"Potter," Draco says with an exasperated sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Quicksilver," he says pointing to the grey blob. "Indigo," he points to the blue, "and Ebony," he ends at the black blob. "Honestly, Harry."

Harry grins unapologetically and shrugs. He still only sees blue, grey and black. "That," he says with a nod at the colors, "is why _you_ are doing this whole thing." He sips his tea and narrows his eyes at Draco. "What are we wearing?"

He's grateful Alice was able to talk Draco into finding a robe maker that did more modern designs. Her giggling probably did most of the convincing; Draco didn't like the idea that other people would giggle at their 'dresses'. It also helped Draco prides himself on being on trend and knowledgeable about fashion. The designs he had gotten a peek at were a flattering combination of wizarding robes and a Muggle suit.

Just picturing Jake in one makes Harry's pulse quicken. He really hopes they'll go with the wizarding tradition of no undergarments.

Draco huffs and gathers some magazines, stuffing a piece of paper in between them, not so subtly hiding something. "I'm not ready to tell you that yet."

Harry narrows his eyes more and leans closer to Draco. "Why not? I don't mind if we're wearing robes. It is a _wizarding_ bonding ceremony after all." He spares a brief pout at the thought of missing out on Jake in a tuxedo, though.

His eyes glaze over for a long moment as he indulges in the mental image and has to check his chin for drool when he snaps out of it.

Draco lifts his chin and manages a glare at Harry. "Patience, Potter," is all he says on the subject.

Inwardly, he's quite relieved. He thought Harry would pitch a bloody fit about having to wear robes. It's tradition, after all. Jake and Joe aren't wizards but both expressed a willingness to go along with whatever was planned. He did so want to see Joe in a well-fit Muggle tuxedo, but proper attire is important and trumps his libido.

"Fine," Harry says and waves a hand at Draco. "Be that way. Git." He sips his tea and lets his thoughts wander. He nearly forgot he had a few things to do before he can go back upstairs to Jake. As he gets his mobile out, a thought occurs to him. "Draco, have you heard back from Angela yet?"

He isn't in a hurry to empty his house but the sooner he could be sure there is something solid for Jake's pack and family, the better he'd feel about the whole situation.

Draco blinks and pulls out his mobile. He checks it with a frown. "No," he murmurs, confused. "I called her two days ago. Surely, she'd have an answer by now..." he trails off and checks the time. It's early, but late enough her office should be open, so he calls her.

As soon as he hears her pick up, he switches to speaker phone. "Angela! It's Draco Malfoy. How are you?"

" _Hello Draco!_ " There is a slight pause, " _Good! How are you?_ "

"Fine." Draco frowns slightly at the phone. "Any word on those properties?"

There is a distinct noise of papers shuffling and Angela clearing her throat. " _Not as of yet._ " It is quite clear she's embarrassed to be caught without the information Draco had asked for.

"Why is that? I thought they were available."

" _Yes, they are. I tried_ _to make an appointment, to show you, and I'm getting the run around._ "

Draco's shoulders relax slightly, relieved Angela's annoyance isn't with him. "How so?"

Angela huffs and there's a creaking noise as she sits back in her chair. " _I called to make an appointment, right? Well, apparently there are some zoning issues that suddenly_ —" Draco can almost see her hooking her fingers in the air, " _Came up when I mentioned the entire development was being looked at, not just one home._ "

She's quite sure one buyer for all the homes is the only issue. If they were buying them separately, it probably wouldn't be an issue. The man she spoke to was quite rude so it was hard to say what, exactly, his problem was. Honestly, what difference did it make if one person bought them all or not?

Draco's brows draw together and Leah makes a soft growling noise in her throat. "I don't understand," Draco says slowly.

" _I don't either, Draco! It's completely ridiculous! I've never heard of such a thing! Zoning, my ass,_ " she mutters lowly, apparently unaware she is clearly heard. Draco snorts softly. " _The wooded lot isn't as big as I thought, either. It's only seventy acres. Is that large enough?_ "

Thankful she can't be seen, she worries her bottom lip. Draco Malfoy is proving to be a treasured client and she refuses to lose his business. It isn't hard to see he's the kind of guy that bought property like some people buy shoes. Draco hadn't blinked twice when he put the offer on the White House, as she called it, and he had strutted around like he was quite comfortable dealing with real estate agents.

Everyone just gives Draco a blank look. No one has any idea how big 70 acres really is. "I haven't a clue. Can we at least see that?" There is the sound of more papers shuffling, followed by the rapid clicking of a keyboard.

" _Yes, since it's a bank owned parcel, I can drive you by it with no issues. Probably can't get out and look around, though..._ " Angela trails off, the clicking of the keyboard starting up again. " _Oh! Never mind! That should be alright._ "

"When are you free?"

Angela pauses again, this time the muted clicks and beeps in the background from a cell phone can be heard. " _Today? I'm clear after two._ "

Draco looks around and gets nods from everyone at the table. "Sounds good. We'll meet at your office?"

" _I could send the address?_ "

"That'll work as well," Draco says, slightly chagrined he hadn't thought of it. His mobile does everything but cook dinner and he loves playing with all the applications and features. "You've got my number, yeah?"

" _Of course,_ " Angela says, a smile evident in her tone. " _See you at two!_ "

"Yes, thank you!" Draco says and ends the call. "Well, that's interesting." He turns to Leah, since she's the only one that had reacted. "What was that nonsense about zoning?"

Leah shrugs. "No idea. Just sounded like bullshit."

Draco hums thoughtfully and taps the edge of his mug with a finger. "Well, at least we can check out the wooded lot and see if that's promising."

Harry nods, feeling slightly giddy at the prospect. If they've got to clear and build it could take months, maybe even years! "I'll let Jake know," he says and pushes back his chair. He curses softly under his breath when Draco's hand lands on his arm.

"Not so fast, Potter," Draco says with a smirk. "You've got things to do _first_." He's well aware that Jake will be hearing the news only after Harry pounces on him. He licks the tip of his finger and turns a page in his magazine. "Hop to it."

He really didn't need Harry's help, having his own estrogen fueled army of wedding helpers, but he's determined to have the man help with _something_ for his _own_ wedding.

The last time _he_ tried speaking with the caterer, the cow had hung up on him. Harry, the annoying git, is so much better at handling the woman so he happily delegated that task to him. The seating changes are merely a distraction. Draco fully intended to check that himself, he might still have a few people to add. He glanced sideways at Harry from the corner of his eye; people he didn't want Harry to know about. Yet. He needed to talk with Hermione first.

"Wanker," Harry mutters and pulls out his mobile. He _hates_ the caterer; that woman seemed to breathe only for the purpose of getting on his last bloody nerve.

~oOo~

Emmett walks in to the living room, setting his messenger bag at a comfortable angle on his shoulder. Hermione did something to it so he can put all kinds of things in it and it doesn't get full. It's the coolest thing he ever saw. Luna had giggled when he had stuck his legs in it and pulled the bag up to his waist, feeling like a cartoon character. Not that he hadn't believed Hermione when she'd explained the charm she used, or what it did, but he couldn't help playing with it.

He's put his entire video game collection inside, eagerly looking forward to a long marathon with Seth (and maybe Joe). The little wolf is the one of the few that enjoyed playing as much as he did and the only one to really give him a challenge. Jasper and Edward rarely bothered anymore since he beat them regularly. Joe would occasionally play with him but got easily distracted if Draco was anywhere nearby; especially when that blonde bastard gave him The Look. Not that he could blame the dude; Emmett would do the same if Rose did that, video game or not. It was only annoying because Joe would rarely remember to pause the game before he dropped his controller and ran after Draco. Impatient, randy bastard.

Emmet's lip curls slightly in distaste when he sees Edward and Bella wrapped around each other on the sofa. Sure, he and Rosalie are affectionate but not to the same nauseating degree of Edward and Bella. They used a bedroom for that sorta thing. Or maybe the kitchen. Once the pool table, but that turned out to be a really dumb idea after the thing was nothing more than splinters after only a moment. He'd heard complaints of splinters for weeks, even though he knew damn well a splinter couldn't pierce the skin on her perky ass; but she did pick them from her hair for awhile.

Well, alright, it was probably just annoying because it was _them_. Emmett grins happily at the annoyed looks on their faces at his interruption. "Get a room, you two," Emmett says, only slightly joking.

Edward smirks and pulls Bella closer to him. "No one was around when we started." He ignores Emmett's mental retching and reminders that they've got their own house. "Besides, I thought you guys were going over to visit the puppies."

Emmett scowls. "Not cool, man," he admonishes. "The only 'puppy' there is Teddy," he says with a happy grin.

Little man is the coolest; Emmett could watch that kid change his hair color for hours. Teddy usually got tired of the game after 5 minutes, but it was still fun to try to trip the kid up with his color requests. So far, they've only had to look up the really obscure colors. He regretted asking for pea green immediately after Teddy's whole face turned green as well as his hair.

It was exciting to see that Teddy expanding his abilities, but the color made him want to vomit –if such a thing were possible. He was already a good wrestler, too. Emmett nearly wets himself every time he pins his stuffed toy and whoops happily doing the funniest victory dance. Rosalie adored the little man too, much to Teddy's delight. She even let Teddy ride on her shoulders –after a stern reminder to mind her hair—and she'd run as fast as she could. All you really saw was a blonde –and whatever color Teddy's hair is at the time—blur and there would be a near sonic boom of Teddy's giggles.

"You guys are welcome to come too, you know," he says, mostly out of habit and politeness.

Bella shrugs. "I'm still getting used to the smell." She wrinkles her nose, delicately of course. She almost wishes she still had her muted human sense of smell. It's overpowering to be there with so many werewolves! Even Harry's older friend and his weird little kid stunk; somehow even worse than Jake and his pack.

It's bad enough to have the smell wafting off of everyone when they came home from visits.

Edward doesn't comment; having no interest in telling Emmett, or Bella, that he's annoyed by the fact that the only minds he can hear are those of his family. Harry and his friends are all able to block him and somehow taught the damn puppies the same trick, or were able to extend their blocks to them. It's infuriating. Jasper finds it _soothing_. Idiot. Edward nearly rolls his eyes; Jasper didn't appreciate his unique gift nearly enough, in his opinion.

"Whatever," Emmett says with a laugh and a dismissive wave of his hand. He doesn't bother trying to refrain from thinking _No one misses you guys, anyway_ and enjoys the way Edward's face scrunches up in annoyance. It was one thing for him to not want to go, but another to not be missed.

"Alice said something about the possibility for a ballgame tomorrow. Are you at least going to come for that?"

He briefly wonders if he should pack all their baseball gear. It'll totally fit in his cool ass bag. Alice didn't say when exactly, so he can always get it later. He doesn't want the bats to smash his shiny new PS3. He hugs the bag to his chest, nearly whimpering at the thought of his precious coming to harm.

Edward and Bella look at each other and shrug at Emmett. "Maybe," Edward answers. "Are those people able to actually play? With us, I mean."

Emmett shrugs, letting go of his annoyance at Edward's condescending tone. "Probably. I know the wolves can keep up, not sure about Harry and his friends."

He grins and wonders if he can talk Jake and his pack into playing as wolves. He'd probably piss himself laughing watching them catch balls in their mouths. Edward snorts at the mental image causing Emmett to glare; it was not an amused snort. Prick.

"I bet they can do their thing and find some way of evening out the playing field." He hopes, anyway. It would be fun to teach them the great American past time and it would be great to have more players. "Well, suit yourselves. I'm out," Emmett says and quickly leaves.

Everyone else is probably already there, Emmett being the last to leave since he wanted to stuff his new bag with as much of his video games as he could.

He pauses and rushes back into the house so he can stuff some of his other game consoles in there as well. Harry has all of the new ones, but he doesn't have any of the old-school ones. He grins; he wonders if Seth even _knows_ what an Atari is. He rubs his hands together with glee, unleashing a booming evil cackle that would make a cartoon villain proud.

Little wolf boy is going to know what defeat tastes like.

~oOo~

Harry quickly makes his way upstairs, still stiff necked and hacked off from the too-long conversation with the caterer. Honestly, it isn't an impossible request to ask for some 'traditional English' cuisine. How hard is it to make Treacle Tart or steak and kidney pie? He was only just able to ignore the retching noise coming from the phone at the latter, but he'd had to bite the inside of his cheek until he'd actually drawn blood.

Once he made it clear he didn't have a problem finding another caterer that wouldn't whinge and complain about every fucking detail, she'd relented and promised to "see what she could do". Harry's sure that's caterer speak for "fuck off and take what I give you".

He still doesn't know why Draco had insisted on this particular caterer. She's an absolute horror to work with. Who does business like that? Personally he doesn't care what they served but Draco, as usual, is another story. The only consolation, in Harry's opinion, is they didn't have a massive guest list but the massive appetites of the wolf pack nearly made up for the lack of guests.

Harry stops in front of his door and pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath in an effort to calm down. He doesn't want to be agitated and annoyed; all he wants is to crawl into bed with Jake for a nap. And maybe fool around.

He creeps into their room. Jake is spread out on their bed and he smiles. He hadn't expected Jake to be spread out, taking up a sizable expanse of their huge bed, since usually he curls up a bit or is plastered along Harry's side or back.

He strips, leaving a trail of clothes as he makes his way over and slips between the sheets, scootching over until he's pressed against Jake's side. He smiles when Jake immediately shifts and cages him in his arms, one leg sliding up over him possessively and his face nuzzles into Harry's hair with a contented sigh. He leans his head back slightly, looking up at Jake and is unsurprised Jake is still deep asleep; the man can sleep through nearly anything. He sighs happily and closes his eyes.

After several long minutes, Harry sighs again, frustrated that he can't fall asleep. He wiggles further back into Jake's embrace and a grin slowly grows on his face as he feels part of Jake wake up.

He glances over his shoulder; Jake is still asleep but his lips are slightly parted and his eyebrows are softly drawn together with pleasure. Harry briefly wonders if he should stop and just let Jake continue to sleep or not. Jake's growing arousal makes his decision for him. He wiggles further back, fitting snug against Jake's lap. Jake shifts, sliding an arm under his body and wraps it tightly around his chest with a soft moan.

His soft laughter breaks off into a low groan when Jake's hips start to rock in a maddeningly slow pace, erection hot, heavy and hard as it slides between his cheeks. He's very glad they both sleep naked. He closes his eyes and focuses on a wandless lubricating charm and jumps slightly as he feels his arse tingle with chilly wetness. He's got to work on a warming charm with that...

"Jake," Harry whispers, wiggling his hips gently.

Jake doesn't respond other than to shift and press his hips harder into Harry, a slightly louder moan falling from his lips. He's only half awake, convinced he's still caught in an erotic dream of Harry.

A tight, slick hand slides up and down his erection and he moans louder, finally waking fully as the all-too-real sensation of Harry's touch rouses him fully in every way. He flexes the arm around Harry's chest, pulling him closer against his chest and places a lingering, slightly wet kiss on the back of Harry's neck.

He hears another, slightly louder, whisper of "Jake". He smiles and shifts his hips sharply into Harry's hand. "Hmm?" he answers with another lazy kiss to the back of Harry's neck. He languidly licks and nips along Harry's shoulder and neck, his lips pressing harder when Harry's hand squeezes him with exquisite, perfect pressure. He slides a hand down Harry's side, enjoying the smooth warmth of his skin.

"Jake," Harry pants softly, his hand still slowly wanking Jake's now fully hard cock. It's an awkward angle and he starts to turn but Jake's arm around his chest tightens, stopping him.

"Stay," Jake says huskily. He did love watching Harry's face as they made love, but in his dream he had Harry pressed against him just like this and he wants to try it. He tells Harry that and he pauses, a slow smile growing on his face when Harry nods eagerly with a soft groan.

He slides his free hand down Harry's side, hooking a hand under Harry's thigh and slowly bringing it up his leg as far as he can. They both sigh at the new angle that has them pressed to close to each other and Harry rolls and arches his hips in the way that makes Jake just want to pant and let loose.

He works his hand between their bodies, dipping along the groove between Harry's pert ass cheek and thigh, sliding gently between Harry's cheeks. Before he can ask Harry to do his lube magic thing, he groans softly when he feels Harry's already slicked and ready.

"Fuck, did I sleep through that?" he asks, mostly to himself as he circles a finger around the slicked, twitching ring of muscle.

Harry chuckles breathlessly, his chest hitching when two of Jake's fingers slide right in and start gently thrusting and wiggling enthusiastically. Another breathy chuckles pops out of Harry when Jake groans at the lack of resistance.

"No," he gasps out softly. He arches back into Jake, his amusement at Jake's wondrous tone quickly fades as want flares sharply through him with each slide and thrust of Jake's fingers. "I wouldn't let you," he promises. His only thoughts are on having Jake inside him as soon as possible.

"Good," Jake whispers and cranes his neck enough to be able to kiss and nibble along Harry's neck and jaw. He leans up even more and is pleased when Harry's head immediate turns into his to line their lips up for a lazy, but passionate kiss. "Hi," he says with a dazed grin. He doesn't feel at all embarrassed he couldn't think of anything suave to say at the moment.

He's knuckle deep in his Harry on top of having just woken up; he's due some wiggle room.

Harry huffs softly with amusement and nibbles Jake's bottom lip. "Hi." He slides a hand along Jake's arm and shoulder to rest on the back of Jake's neck. His fingers dig in and he hisses with pleasure as Jake slowly slides his fingers out and slips inside.

He hums lowly at the pleasurable burn and stretch, shifting his hips to draw Jake deeper. "Fuck," he moans softly, arching back into Jake, his leg twitching down Jake's thigh slightly. Jake's lips press on his neck and shoulder again and his mind nearly blanks with pleasure, his senses nearly overloading, when nips and licks are added. Somehow he presses even closer, feeling their bodies slide against one another slickly from the sweat that's broken out on their bodies.

Jake wiggles, circling his hips and makes a triumphant noise when Harry gasps a loud moan at the move and a fist tightens in his hair. He experiments with different ways to move and finally finds a way to shift his hips back and forth without having to alter their position too much.

He didn't think it would feel so amazing to have Harry pressed so close along his body and still be able to slide and move inside him. It's... "Why haven't we tried this before?" he huffs into Harry's ear, his pace slightly increasing, but still slow and languid.

A long, loud moan is his only answer. He shifts again, changing the angle only slightly but giving himself better traction and speeds up his thrusts. Harry whines deep in his throat and he knows he's stroking Harry's prostate with each stroke.

He slowly slides his other hand down Harry's chest and belly, wrapping around Harry's leaking cock. He pulls Harry close again and nearly drops his hand from Harry when he hears a hoarse 'harder'. Harry's leg slides further down his, sweat and Harry's writhing making it difficult to keep it up but the change in pressure has him twitching, cursing softly under his breath.

"H-harry," he chokes out. "Where?" he asks in a soft grunt.

Harry grunts back and grabs Jake's hand and wraps it tighter around him. "There. So good," he moans and arches back into Jake when he feels Jake's hand wrap tighter and slide up and down with firmer pressure, his wrist doing the twist that he likes. "Oh fuck yeah," he babbles, "Merlin, you're so deep."

He blindly reaches back and sinks his fingers into Jake's arse cheek, needing something solid to grip. "So close," he whispers, pulling Jake's face closer by the back of Jake's neck. He presses a sloppy, open mouthed kiss on whatever part of Jake's face he can reach, drawing his tongue over Jake's lips. "Oh fuck, Jake," he whines and closes his eyes.

He can't help echo Jake's earlier thought; why hadn't they tried it this way before? His entire body is pressed along Jake's making everything tingle with the close contact, every thrust sending pleasuring zinging through him as Jake slams into his prostate.

Jake pulls Harry's leg back up, holding it himself as he pulls Harry even closer. A loud moan erupts from Harry at the change in position and he pants and grins against the back of Harry's neck and somehow manages to move faster.

A string of curses and filthy encouragements follows and he feels Harry's body twitch and then go rigid for a second right before he orgasms. He gives a hoarse shout as Harry's twitching body draws his own orgasm from him. "Harry!" he grunts, his hips still stuttering with the longest orgasm he's ever experienced. Harry's body finally relaxes, which makes him sigh with relief as it was almost getting painful on his over sensitized cock.

He can't move and mumbles as much into Harry's ear. He shivers as his flesh breaks out in pleasant goose bumps when he feels Harry's magic tingle across his arm, hand and Harry's chest.

Jake must have said it aloud since a dazed, breathless giggle is Harry's response, nearly making him giggle as well, completely uncaring of the unmanliness of the sound. He feels too damn good to care. "I don't want you to move," Harry finally says with a deep sigh. "Just... just stay there. Forever." He wiggles his hips slightly, enjoying the fullness. He likes the slick feeling.

"Happily," Jake breathes out with a soft chuckle, feeling Harry twitch and laugh with the vibrations, and nuzzles his nose into Harry's sweaty hair, relaxing his body but keeping his arms wrapped tightly around Harry. "That... was interesting," he whispers, squeezing slightly.

Harry snorts and nods, shifting slightly so Jake doesn't slide out of him just yet. "Bet your arse." He reaches back and squeezes one of Jake's cheeks, earning him a playful swat and soft chuckle. Jake is quite ticklish there. "Dear Merlin, you're a genius, love."

"Mhm." Jake stifles another laugh into Harry's hair. "Just woke up horny and in no mood to move," he says in a serious tone. Harry laughs again and he can't stop the yawn. "I should be so lucky to wake up the same way every day."

Harry nods vigorously, "Oh yes. You'd never get anywhere on time, but who cares, yeah?"

"Right." Jake nods with a snort. "I can afford to be at least an hour late every day," he says, unconcerned, and nuzzles Harry's neck again. "Tired?"

Harry nods with a yawn. "I am now."

"Good, then let me finish my nap," Jake says with a soft kiss to the back of Harry's neck.

~oOo~

Neville enters the kitchen and heads for the kettle, only focused on getting more tea. He knows Draco and the girls have taken over the kitchen whenever possible to plan the wedding. He's vaguely aware that Harry has escaped at some point and he's relieved for his friend; even if it's more than a little funny to see his friend give scared looks to the wedding planners.

He'd nearly popped in the kitchen numerous times to peek a glance at Leah, but he was able to resist until now. Now, though, he really needs more tea. That is all. Maybe a biscuit or two.

Neville realizes it's eerily silent in the kitchen and he turns slowly to see everyone staring at him. And grinning at him. Well, everyone, except Leah. Draco is even smirking at him. It's a playful smirk and in no way malicious but it still makes Neville feel a nervous flutter in his stomach.

He's missing something and he doesn't know what it is. Why are they all smiling at him like this? He nearly drops his mug when he notices even Pansy is smiling at him. It's been strange, but welcome, seeing the former Slytherin slowly warm up to them but he's sure they've not spoken more than a dozen words to each other. Progress, but still.

He grips his mug tighter, looking about warily.

"Erm. Sorry," Neville says and holds his mug up, "I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just getting more tea." He absently fiddles with the handle of his mug, silently debating whether or not he should just drop the mug and run or stand firm. He's long ago embraced his Gryffindorness—as Harry likes to call it—but he's dismayed that he's back to his clumsy, awkward, bumbling self whenever he's around Leah.

It's really no wonder the woman won't look at him.

Luna is the first to speak and Neville gives her a small, grateful smile. "Quite alright, Nev." Luna waves her hand at him, gesturing for him to continue his earlier actions. The kettle clicks off, having reached the boil, easily heard in the again silent room.

Everyone is still looking at Neville, and he turns quickly with a flush of disappointment to notice Leah is still playing with her nails and stroking a finger down Leo's back; in other words, completely ignoring him. Nothing new there, though. He fixes his tea and quickly rushes from the room, a mumbled "bye" as he leaves.

As he watches Neville flee, Draco slowly turns and casually flips a page in the closest magazine, peeking at Leah from the corner of his eye. He smirks when he sees she's finally looked up, attention firmly fixed on the now empty doorway of the kitchen with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Well," he drawls and lazily licks a finger to turn another page, " _that_ was interesting." Everyone, but Leah, just nods. Draco watches the female werewolf closely and purses his lips slightly in thought giving Pansy a quick glance.

Pansy, knowing Draco so well as to know what the man is doing, nods ever so slightly and rolls her eyes exaggeratedly before scoffing and sipping her tea. "Puh. _Long_ bottom is _not_ interesting." She nearly grins, hoping her lame innuendo isn't missed. She hasn't seen the man's bits, but she's heard stories.

She ignores Hermione's heated glare but nearly kisses Luna when the blonde witch pats Hermione's thigh with a whispered, "just wait and listen". If she ever doubted Luna's intelligence, the cheeky wink and knowing look in those pale blue eyes abolishes it permanently.

Draco grins, winks subtly at Pansy, and clicks his tongue. "Very true, darling." He's watching Leah closely and hides a smirk when he sees her glaring daggers at Pansy, her chest starting to rise and fall rapidly.

It's rather entertaining watching Leah struggle with herself: join in the mocking or defend the man? He's not sure how wise it is to provoke the female werewolf since he really doesn't know, for sure, the extent of her fondness for Neville. He got the impression it's as serious as an imprinting though, but he didn't know why she's not embraced it if that were the case. He'd gotten the distinct impression, from what Jake and Joe have said before, that it's something she would be looking forward to.

"I never did understand how Harry allowed Longbottom to trail after him like a poor little lost crup," Draco says with a sneer in his voice he doesn't feel at all. He sends a silent prayer that Neville isn't hanging around to hear their conversation; he's sure he'd never be able to apologize enough and would risk losing the trust and friendship that's grown between them.

Pansy cackles, throwing her head back. " _Crups_ are useful."

Finally, Leah can't hold her tongue anymore. She sits up higher in her chair, almost to the point of standing and sending it skittering across the room.

"Fuck _off_ , you pretentious twats!" Leah snarls and there is literally a snarling sound emitting from deep in her throat and a matching one from Leo not a second later. He's standing on her lap, his back arched and his body puffed out, ready to do some damage. He's gotten big enough, Draco would actually fear a nasty wound from the irate little cat.

"Neville is interesting and likeable and has more bravery in his fucking _little toe_ than either of you fuckers _combined!_ " She flushes a second later and groans, dropping her head onto the table with a loud, painful-sounding thud. Horrified with herself and her big mouth, she closes her eyes and tries to get her breathing under control.

 _Fuck_.

Well, at least she didn't add 'fucking sexy' like she was thinking. She groans again when she realizes that the fuckers were probably just baiting her; they've frequently prided themselves on their underhandedness many times.

Pansy reaches carefully across and taps the table in front of Leah to get her attention. Slowly, dark narrowed eyes glare up at her and she flinches back. She can't help it, Leah looks ready to skin her alive. "Darling," she drawls, "I think now is the time to admit we are... fucking with you."

Leah looks over to Draco and the blonde nods at her with a wink. "I have no problems with Neville, honestly. He's probably kept Potter alive more often than Snape," Draco says calmly.

Leah ignores the strange name, but not the sincere tone and glares back at Pansy, who's nodding and smiling. "What the _fuck_ was all that shit about then?" she hisses, a finger jabbing the air between the two ex-Slytherins.

It's clear she really wanted to be jabbing that finger into either of their chests. Hard.

"Well," Pansy says slowly and shrugs, frowning slightly that she's allowed herself to make such a gesture, and carefully rests a hand on Leah's arm. "You seem the type to need a push." She nods knowingly, when Leah blinks at her.

Leah scowls. "What?"

"A push," Pansy repeats with a smirk. "You realize we were _all_ in here when Neville walked in, yes? We _all_ saw you drooling over him." She nods at Leah's incredulous stare. "Oh yes. We all did." She smiles and doesn't add they all also witnessed the intense eye-fucking Leah had managed to get in in the almost full minute Neville's back was turned.

She points a finger at Leah, keeping her tone light and playful. "You even _blushed_." She barely suppresses a snort when Leah's cheeks pink again. She didn't think the girl was even _able_ to blush; it's rather cute.

Wisely, she keeps that last bit to herself. There's really only so far she's willing to push Leah, even for Draco.

Luna giggles and nods her head at Leah. "We did see," she sing songs. She doesn't think Leah would appreciate hearing she is pretty when she blushes. She nearly sighs wistfully and wishes Neville was still there to see it.

Hermione, finally calm from her initial reaction, nods as well with a small smile. "It's true, Leah. I don't see what the problem is."

It's obvious to her that there is something there, on both sides and she's really not sure what's causing Leah's reluctance. Neville is a great bloke and Leah is crazy to not least see what could happen. A thoughtful frown appears on her face as she slowly realizes it's probably not something as simple as a passing fancy; Leah's a werewolf. She sits up higher in her seat, giving a sideways glance to a nodding Luna and her thoughtful frown deepens. She's not sure what to think of another of her friends being a werewolf's imprint, not that she can—or would—do anything about it.

She gives Leah a thoughtful look; Neville could really do a lot worse. Up until a few months ago, he'd seemed willing to just follow any woman that looked at him. Leah comes off as brash but she is incredibly smart, passionate and fiercely loyal to those that she cares for. Luna's again hand tightens around her thigh with excitement, making it hard for Hermione to sit still. Thoughts of the budding relationship-that-might-be flee her mind with Luna's eager hand now gently stroking along her thigh. Merlin, how can one gesture make her brain short circuit?

Leah looks around the table and frowns. What the fuck? She is not the kind of girl that goes around talking about her _feelings_ and shit. Not that she has any. She knows all of these people well enough, even Pansy has grown on her, but she's not sure she's comfortable discussing this sort of thing with them. Or anyone, really.

It's personal; if she were to discuss it, it should be with her pack. If they weren't all fucking guys.

Her mouth opens to tell them all to fuck off again, but instead she says: "He's amazing." She's horrified when she hears her voice come out all breathy and soft. She reaches up and curses sharply when she confirms that her cheeks are indeed warm. "Oh fuck me," she mutters. This shit is _so_ not on.

"Mhm." Draco is the first to recover, nodding at her with an understanding look on his face. "You've avoided looking at him whenever possible." At Leah's slow nod, he smiles softly at her. "It's really not that bad, you know. It's... amazing."

By the look on her face, he knows she's very aware he's referring to the whole imprinting business. He shrugs, unwilling be to made fun of for his moment of honesty. Leah knows him well enough to not take it for granted. And the thoughtful little frown marring the woman's face speaks for itself.

Pansy doesn't comment on what Draco says, knowing there's more to what he's saying that what she's heard even if she doesn't know what it could be other than referring to love. "I know it's not easy to speak about such things."

Leah doesn't hear pity or condescension in Pansy's tone. Only understanding and a little regret (that she really wants to ask about).

"But it's not like you have to marry the bloke," Pansy says jokingly. Her mouth parts in surprise when Leah snorts a laugh and waves a hand at her with a roll of her eyes. "What? Don't you people know how to _date_ and just have fun?" she finally asks, exasperated, her eyes darting between Leah and Draco. But mostly her heated glare is on her friend, who got engaged so soon after first meeting the tall, sexy wizard.

"Sure, but there are... complications. So, it's not all that simple," Leah says, glancing at Draco. She's well aware Pansy doesn't know they're werewolves or all of the details, so she doesn't further explain. She doesn't have to and she sure as shit doesn't _want_ to. She huffs a short sigh and glares at Draco, "Well?"

"Well what?" he blinks at Leah, truly confused.

"What do you think?"

Draco pauses. "About what?"

"Neville," Leah says through gritted teeth. "You thick bastard."

Draco smirks and leans back in his chair as he folds his arms across his chest. "You really need to be more specific."

Leah glares at him and huffs. "Fine. Fucking bastard!" she says again, just to remind Draco what she thinks of him at the moment. "Is he a good guy?"

She has her own impressions, of course, but she really doesn't know how impartial she can be about the whole thing. She has only seen Neville upset once and it was... enlightening. Otherwise, he's an incredibly sweet and mellow guy. Soft spoken but not shy about speaking up for himself or or saying what is on his mind. He has a way of implying 'fuck you' without having to actually _say_ the words (not that she'd shy away from him if he _did_ , of course). She has seen him interact with everyone and feels a twinge of regret and annoyance she has let herself avoid him for so long. Overall, he's incredible.

Unsurprisingly, there are emphatic nods all around.

There are strange looks between Draco and Harry's two witch friends that confuse both Pansy and Leah. "Pans," Draco says quietly. "Would you be a dear and grab the extra magazines and my wedding planner?"

Pansy narrows her eyes, knowing a polite 'piss off for a minute' when she hears one, but she nods and steps out to retrieve the magazine. "Bugger," she grumbles as she heads back to her room, feeling the privacy ward buzz softly behind her as soon as she had left the kitchen. Not that she had intended on eavesdropping. She nearly huffs with annoyance; she can dish on Neville as well as they can. She wasn't going to say anything mean or snarky about the wizard.

As soon as Pansy leaves and he senses the soft hum from Luna's privacy charm, Draco leans forward, his face serious but still kind as he looks at Leah. "He's your imprint, yeah?"

"I think so." Leah swallows thickly and looks away. "I don't know. Maybe."

Draco snorts. "Short of the huge sappy grin I saw on Joe and Jake's face, everything else is pretty clear. Why aren't you embracing it?" he asks, truly confused.

Leah glares. "I don't want to fucking talk about this," she hisses through clenched teeth. "It's personal."

"I get that. I didn't mean to pry," Draco says softly, his hands up in surrender, and leans back again. "I'll only say this: trying to deny it will backfire. On you _and_ him. He's already starting to mope around since you've now go out of your way to leave a room if he's in it."

He raises an eyebrow when he sees guilt flash across Leah's face. He's running out of things to say to comfort Neville whenever the other wizard mentioned Leah's behavior.

Leah sighs and stares at the ceiling for a long moment. "I don't even know him." Sure, she's practically lived with the guy since he came for Harry's party, but she skirted around him so often she barely knows him. What she does know, doesn't seem all that important. Well, not important enough to build a possible relationship on.

Plus, she's terrified she's read the signals wrong and he's not her imprint. She can't handle that sort of situation again.

Luna chuckles softly. "Yes you do. You already know the best things about him." Her voice is serious a moment later, earning a caress along her thigh from Hermione. "There really isn't much bad about him, but that's for him to share."

Really, all she can think of is his annoying habit of leaving socks on the radiator and occasionally not getting all the dirt out from under his nails after he's been digging in the dirt. She's only referring to his occasional nightmares and strange habits they've all seemed unable to shake since the war but she can't say that to Leah. Not yet.

"True." Draco nods, his face drawn in a sad moue. His thoughts focus on his Hogwarts years and the final battle. He shudders delicately and ignores Leah's inquisitive look. He isn't going to share that part of Neville's past. He agrees with Luna; that's for Neville to share.

Leah's gaze flicks to each of them. "Like what? You tell me he's a closet case or a fucking serial killer on Halloween or some shit and I'll cram his ass in a box and ship him to Russia or something. In pieces," she ends with a smile that's all teeth.

Amused laughter rings through the kitchen for a long moment. "No, nothing like that. Personal things, nothing bad," Draco answers after he's calmed. "Anyway, last thing and then I'll drop it." He holds up a hand, "I promise. You can easily _get_ to know him. You have to know there's no rule about having to jump into a relationship with him just because you've imprinted."

He had heard, from Joe mostly, about the various ways other werewolves in the other pack had embraced their imprints. One poor sod had imprinted on a child and was happy enough standing in as a big brother. It still thoroughly creeps him out but he knows Joe only told him as an example of the many ways the imprinting can affect a couple. He had been a little... reluctant when they first met, and hearing that had been embarrassingly reassuring at the time.

Leah nods slowly. "I know," she says quietly, her gaze back on Leo. His golden eyes are narrowed into slits of pleasure as she strokes between his ears. Leo's always liked Neville, as well. Her kitten follows the wizard around whenever he's not with Leah. That endorsement weighs the heaviest for her.

A long sigh leaves her and she only looks at Draco. "Look, this is embarrassing as fuck, so don't repeat it." Draco nods solemnly as do Luna and Hermione. "I had a boyfriend, before. It didn't work out," she says bitterly. "I do like him," Leah admits quietly, "Neville, I mean, but I don't think I could handle it if it wasn't—" She makes air quotes as her lips pull down into a harsh sneer, "'Meant to be'. It would probably turn me into a lesbian," she says with a grin and an exaggerated wink to Luna and Hermione. Luna just giggles and winks back.

"Well." Draco rubs his chin for a moment as he thinks before he smirks. "Have you felt his magic?" He's more than once noticed Leah's glazed expression or shifting in her seat when she sat too close to Neville.

Leah shifts slightly in her chair and shrugs in a way she hopes is careless. "Maybe." She groans; she really should have just made a lewd comment or act completely ignorant so the blonde bastard would drop the subject. She does _not_ want to tell the little pervert she has indeed felt his magic. Or what the effect was. It always left her throbbing deliciously and usually needing fresh underwear. She focuses on Leo so she doesn't blush again.

"It's a pretty clear yes or no answer."

Leah pauses and glares at Draco for a long moment. Draco is just sitting there, looking smug. She sucks her teeth. "If I have?"

Hermione smiles at Leah apologetically and leans over to cover Draco's mouth with her hand, fully aware the look on his face means a vulgar comment is coming. She's pretty sure it won't offend Leah but this seems like a rather delicate topic. "It means there is compatibility between your magics. I know you don't have magic, per se, it's no less true." She slowly releases her hand from Draco's mouth. "Right, Draco?"

"Yes." Draco sends a mock glare at Hermione. "I wasn't going to be too raunchy. Besides," he waves a hand at Leah, "look who I'd be talking to. She could make a bloody sailor blush with that mouth." Leah grins and inclines her head in sincere thanks. "But, yes. It's true. Joe can feel my magic but no one else's. Not even Harry's, and he's... Well, powerful." He smirks, his gaze on Leah. "I bet Jake comes in his pants just from a simple locking charm."

"Draco!" Hermione gasps, scandalized, even as Luna bursts into giggles. Both witches can't help blushing at the mental images. Leah just wrinkles her nose in mild disgust; that's her _Alpha_ they're talking about.

"I'm just saying—"

"I get the idea," Leah says as she catches her breath from her own laughter. The thought of poor Jake at such a mercy... She has to ask Harry for a demonstration sometime. When he was standing right next to Jake. "Yeah, I've only felt an odd tingling from him. But he wasn't, like, doing anything," she murmurs, mostly to herself and nearly groans out loud when she imagines what it would feel like.

She barely suppresses a delighted shiver.

Draco shakes his head. "He doesn't have to. Our magic is always there. I can only imagine the reaction you'd have if Neville were concentrating on it," he says with a lewd grin that only makes Leah's eyebrows perk up with interest that makes his grin grow. "He's a rather powerful wizard as well, once he got a proper wand made for him. It was… surprising to say the least."

Years of explosions and poorly executed charms vanished but Neville did have to learn how to control and harness his magic, almost from the start like a first-year. He's pretty sure he practices wandless magic with Harry on occasion now, as well.

"How big is his wand?" Leah blurts out. She decides to go with it when they all snicker. It's not like it's new knowledge that she's a bit of a pervert.

"Nearly nine inches. Bendy," Draco says with an exaggerated wink.

Leah's eyes widen and she has to shift slightly in her seat. "Fuck," she says softly. Her eyes narrow a moment later when a surge of possessive jealousy making her fists clench. "How do _you_ know that?"

"Communal showers. Stories." Draco shrugs, waving a hand dismissively. "Neville isn't one to brag, but I do trust Harry's description." He'd snorted with laughter when Harry had told him about it, Harry's voice soft with admiration and a little wanting. He didn't think Neville strutted enough for a bloke with impressive bits but he was sure Harry wasn't lying.

Leah nods stiffly, her mind still happily stuck on the image of a nearly 9 inch… wand. Usually, she doesn't really care about size, but she's only human. It's even more thrilling at the knowledge that it was hers for the taking. Oh fuck yeah. Suddenly feeling a little better about the entire situation, and not the least bit a pervert for letting the size sway her decision, she nods decisively.

"Well, I suppose it really won't hurt to see what happens, right?"

Draco nods with a smile. "Not in the least. It's rather convenient that you only have to actually _make eye contact with him._ " He stresses in a lightly mocking tone, "And you'll easily know." He giggles and immediately claps a hand over his mouth to stifle the very unmanly sound, looking around the table. "You didn't hear that," he threatens, sweeping narrowed eyes around the table and focusing on each grinning woman.

Luna giggles and bounces in her chair. "Oh, but I did! I heard Draco Malfoy giggle like a girl!" Luna giggles again, her eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Shut it, Looney!"

Luna pouts but the effect is ruined when she giggles again. She's aware there isn't any scorn in the old nickname. "Do share; what made you _giggle_ like a first-year Hufflepuff?"

Draco crosses his arms over his chest, flopping back into his seat with a massive pout on his face. " _Real_ friends would cater to my wishes and pretend they hadn't heard such a sound." He rolls his eyes when all of them just shake their heads with grins on their faces. "Bitches," he says somehow sneering and smiling at the same time.

"Oh, fine. I remembered the completely barmy look on Joe's face when he did that imprint thing. Jake was even funnier. He passed out!" He allows a chuckle as he remembers; Jake had dropped right into the sand like a sack of potatoes which made Harry squeak in shock and kneel down next to the man so fast he'd heard a painful sounding crack. Joe, while gaping at him with wide eyes for a long moment, had composed himself quickly and practically glued himself to Draco's side. At the time Draco had been thoroughly freaked out and incredibly turned on. The combination, naturally, causing him to lash out and shove Joe. Ever the brave werewolf, Joe had grinned and went right back to his previous position.

Leah laughs, her hand slapping at the table weakly. "You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Draco shakes his head, his own laughter making it hard to speak. "I can't believe he passed out like a little bitch." She snorts and wipes a tear from her eye. "That is just too good."

Her giggles dry up when she realizes her reaction could be just as embarrassing. She points a finger at Draco, "I'm doing it alone. I don't want no assholes around to make fun of me later."

"Oh poo." Luna waves a hand at Leah. "You're no fun! I bet you're going to swoon like a muggle movie starlet," she says with a dreamy sigh, clutching her hands together and pressing them to her chest.

Leah snorts and catches a soft sound from the hallway. "Pansy's on her way back. Where did you have those books, Draco? Mars?" she asks when she realizes how long Pansy has been gone.

Draco smirks and twitches his head to shift his fringe. "I moved them to my room and made sure there was a rather strong locking charm on my desk. I figured it would take her awhile to get through it." He nods at Luna and she cancels the privacy ward with a flick of her wand before placing it back behind her ear.

"Find them alright, Pans?" he asks as soon as Pansy sulks back into the kitchen.

"I finally did." Pansy huffs and tosses the magazines and planner on the table in front of Draco. "You really could have mentioned that you'd moved them. And the locking charm, you twat."

She isn't too put out, though; Joe had let her in the room and they chatted for awhile as she forced her way into Draco's drawers. She didn't know why the man hadn't helped her, or given her a funny look when she'd asked after his wand, but he is quite the conversationalist. And gorgeous. That didn't hurt when talking to the man.

Draco snorts a laugh. "I forgot. Sorry, darling." He purses his lips and makes kissing noises, knowing full well it always cheered Pansy up to see him doing that ridiculous gesture. "Kiss kiss," he intones cheekily.

Pansy glares at Draco for a long moment before sitting back down gracefully, smoothing her hair back from her brow. She is well aware she was sent out for a reason so she refrains from asking what she'd missed even if it's nearly killing her to know. She refrains from a scowl at being left out and instead sends a glare at Draco for being an arse.

"From what I can see—" She nods towards the wedding planner still splayed on the table from where she tossed it, "you're done with the wedding plans." She raises an eyebrow in challenge, daring Draco to make an issue of her reading through the book. She expects a smug declaration.

Draco lightly draws his teeth over his top lip and looks around apprehensively. "Not quite. I've got some other guests to arrange. And the final fittings."

Luna hums thoughtfully while Hermione looks at Draco with confusion. Pansy just glares.

"Who else is there to invite, darling? Everyone is already invited," Pansy says with a slightly harsh tone.

She can't imagine who Draco would want to invite so last minute and she's not sure she wants to know. A silent hope it isn't either of his arsehole parents. She has already asked about them and fears he might have changed his mind. Eventually, she'd support him if he did change his mind, it isn't _unreasonable_ to want one's parents present when one got married. Even if one's parents are utter twats that don't seem to care about anything other than status and appearances. She doesn't even pause to reflect on the hypocrisy of her thoughts and just stares at Draco questioningly.

Draco's teeth clamp harder on his lip. He slowly turns to Hermione and the witch blinks at the apprehensive look on his face. "You're sure the twins are still friendly with Harry?"

"Yes," Hermione says, blinking rapidly, trying to get her brain back in gear. The twins have always been the black sheep of the Weasley family and continued that trend by being the only ones that had kept friendly with Harry after school. "Yes, I'm positive. They were downright depressed when Harry came here," she says with a nod at Draco's relieved expression. It was indeed a sight to see the twins with anything other than devious smiles or grins. It's rather heartbreaking really. "Did you already owl them?" she asks, quickly coming to a conclusion.

Draco nods reluctantly but looking slightly less unsure. "Just this morning." He had nearly floo'd, the anticipation of waiting for bloody owls almost too much to bear, but he couldn't risk any of the other Weasleys being about. The twins are brilliant, they'd know to check his missive for any hexes and charms to keep anyone but them from reading it.

Luna smirks as she leans forward and pokes a finger in the air towards Draco, surprising him; he'd never seen such an expression on Luna's normally pleasant face. "Did you tell Jake?"

"Huh? No."

Luna makes a tsking sound. "You really should have. Jake is going to be very upset."

Draco's eyebrows slowly crawl up his forehead. "And why is that?" He doesn't want to bother addressing the fact that he doesn't have to tell Jake everything; Harry's fiancé or not. Jake already had his invitations out and, usually, doesn't have strong opinions about the wedding plans. When he did, he lets Draco know and it generally works out for the better.

"Jake was told, _by you_ —" Luna points at him again with sharp look, "That red-heads were not to be anywhere near Harry."

Draco's face falls as he realizes what Luna means. "Oh bugger," he whispers. Jake is, oftentimes, ridiculously protective of Harry and he'd just went and opened the door for one of the biggest emotionally painful reminders of his past as far as Jake is concerned. He winces and sinks down in chair slightly, ignoring Pansy's horrified glare at the action. This is a situation that called for slumping!

"I hadn't even thought of that." He runs his teeth along his bottom lip for a moment as he thinks. "I'll just explain that they're still Harry's friends. That should keep things smooth, yeah?"

"Dunno." Luna shrugs, she really isn't sure. Jake isn't always predictable. "The sooner the better," is all she says. Alpha wolf coupled with enamored fiancé could make him nearly insane. She almost pats Draco on the shoulder with a sympathetic expression.

Draco nods and nearly slides out of his chair onto the floor in surprise when Joe walks into the kitchen. Joe could tell Jake! "Love!" he cries happily and grabs Joe around the waist as soon as he's in arm's reach. He looks up at Joe and gives him a hopeful expression, "You've got to do me a favor!"

"Hmm." Joe grins and leans back in Draco's arm slightly. "I did you a favor just this morning," he says lowly, nearly purring it. His grin grows when Draco's cheeks pink lightly in arousal and he shifts in his seat, obviously trying to resettle the nearly instantaneous erection at the reminder. "Not that I'd mind at all doing it again."

Draco ignores the interested looks from the gathered witches, especially Pansy, and moves his hand down slightly to slap at Joe's arse. "Hush, you great pervert. I meant something for the wedding."

"Oh," Joe says with mock severe disappointment. "I suppose." He could only imagine what task Draco wanted. He didn't ask his opinion on much and saved Joe's 'help' for doing grunt work mostly, not that he minded. The few times he had an opinion on something, Draco happily listened and usually loved it.

Draco pats Joe's arse. "Great! You go tell Jake I invited some Weasleys," he says with a dismissive wave of his hand. He glares up at his fiancé when the bastard just stands there gaping at him. "What?"

"You…" Joe pauses and blinks rapidly. "Why would you do that?" He leans down until his lips are nearly pressed against Draco's ear. "I thought you were friends with Harry, love?" he asks.

He can't think of a reason why his Draco would invite such people if he was indeed Harry's friend like he's claimed to be. He has never, before now, ever gotten any indicator they aren't anything other than best friends. He looks down at Draco, trying not to feel disappointed.

Draco huffs and closes his eyes for a moment. "I am. Which is why I did. Look, long story short, the twins are the only ones not invited that should be."

"Oh?" Joe raises an eyebrow. "Would Harry agree?" He doesn't look forward to telling Jake this piece of information if it'll upset him. Plus, he likes Harry a lot; he would not want to be involved in something that would bring him pain.

Draco nods his head emphatically. "He would. He's always been close to the twins. Merlin knows why." He rolls his eyes but smiles. "Those buggers always manage to trick him. Trust me, love. It would be a pleasant surprise."

"Ah." Joe narrows his eyes down at Draco. "Then why am _I_ charged with breaking the oh-so-happy news to Jake then?"

Draco smiles up at Joe and, again ignoring the nosy witches, nuzzles his nose into Joe's belly. "Because you're his best mate and he wouldn't dream of skinning you first before asking questions," he murmurs into the soft t-shirt covering Joe's solid stomach. He briefly considers using his tongue or teeth when the muscles twitch but they've an audience.

"I see," Joe says and snorts a laugh, even if it sounds a bit choked since Draco's nose is still buried in his stomach and inching downwards. "You sneaky little coward," he says fondly.

Draco nods emphatically again, his eyes wide as he leans back to look up at Joe. "Indeed I am, love. It's in my very Slytherin nature," he says sounding almost proud and slips a hand inside the pocket right over Joe's arse and squeezes. "Right, Pans?"

Pansy sits up and blinks, coming back into the conversation. She'd been too engrossed in watching Draco fondle and manhandle his fiancé. She clears her throat delicately and nods. "Indeed, darling. Slithering little snakes," she adds with a smirk.

"I see," Joe says again, his head tilting back a little as he laughs. "You know I can't say no to you, love." He leans down and kisses Draco behind the ear. He whispers, "But there's a first time for everything. No way in hell am I doing that."

Draco jerks his head back with a horrified expression. "You bastard! Why not?"

"Because," Joe says with a snort, "I have no information on these twins. I ain't telling Jake it's cool and then having no reason why. And you know he'll ask. Sorry, love, this is all on you."

He pauses and rolls his lips over his teeth to keep from laughing at Draco's expression; he looks like he's being sent to a death sentence. There's no way Draco is actually scared of Jake; Draco is very aware Jake won't actually hurt him, no matter how upset he might get. Not only does Jake respect and like Draco, he wouldn't do that to Joe. But Jake is sure to be pissed and probably yell. He doesn't really blame his Draco for wanting to avoid such a confrontation.

He leans back slightly to place his hand over the one Draco now has around his hips. "How about I go with you?"

Draco raises an eyebrow and glances up at Joe from the corner of his eye. "Really?" Joe nods. "Are you that sure he'll react... badly?"

Joe frowns but slowly shakes his head. "Not at all. He's really not _that_ bad. Honestly. He can control himself. I just want to be there, you know, moral support and all that shit," he simpers while fluttering his eyelashes.

"Arse," Draco says fondly and nods after a moment's thought. "Yeah, let's do this now so I can't back out." When Joe snorts, he glares. "What?"

"I would wait until you see him next," Joe says with a meaningful look.

Draco glares and pulls his mobile from his pocket to check the time. "You've _got_ to be kidding me," he mutters with an eye roll.

He's mostly annoyed at how long it's been since Harry had gone upstairs not that they're 'unavailable'. Not even a nap would last this long. Sodding Wolf stamina. He nearly blushes at the thought, well acquainted with it himself.

"Fine, fine."

~oOo~

"No."

Draco pauses in his explanation and just blinks. "No?" he repeats sounding confused and offended.

"That's right; No." Jake nods stiffly, his hands clenched, trying very hard not to harm the infuriating blonde wizard in front of him. "You heard me. No. Do that bird thing and tell them never mind."

He had been cornered by Draco the moment he had come down the stairs. His lazy euphoria from earlier vanished with a nearly visible puff of smoke as soon as he had opened his mouth and told Jake what he had done. He is also mildly confused but agitation is overwhelming that at the moment. Why would Draco invite people he himself has basically forbidden?

Jake rubs at a temple slowly as he glares at Draco. "I don't know why you sent them invitations without making sure it was cool first." He doesn't feel bossy about it, even if it is Draco's wedding too, since he is sure Draco isn't as friendly with the 'red-headed devils' he's requesting to come.

Draco gapes for a moment and shakes his head briskly to clear it, sending Joe a brief but heated glare since the bastard is only standing there watching the exchange like it's a highly entertaining Muggle tennis match.

"Are you at least going to hear me out?" he finally mutters.

"Fine." Jake straightens his back and crosses his arms over his chest, not caring at all that he's deliberately trying to intimidate the other man. He doesn't want to listen; he can't imagine a good enough reason to invite the very people _Draco_ told him to avoid. To their _wedding_. Of all the days to have bullshit, that is not the one he'd ever sacrifice. Maybe they could visit some other time…

When Draco just stares up at him doing a rather good impression of a gold fish with wide eyes, he huffs sharply through his nose and waves his hand imperiously. "Talk!"

Draco swallows nervously, again glaring at his fiancé, and hands Jake a slip of parchment. "First, it was my fault for not excluding the twins when I said no gingers. I apologize." He nods haughtily at Jake's stunned expression, fully expecting that reaction. "Second, they've already responded with an enthusiastic 'By Merlin's saggy balls, we'll be there'," he quotes with a smirk. "And lastly, I absolutely guarantee you Harry will be glad to see them."

He pauses, forcing himself to stop worrying his lower lip when Jake's narrowed eyes dart from the parchment in his hand to his face. He isn't a hundred percent sure about the last part, but he is willing to place his trust in Hermione and his own instincts enough if it'll convince Jake. He really should have expected this reaction. Jake doesn't fuck around when it comes to Harry; he goes into full-on scary arse Alpha-wolf mode.

"Well?" Jake folds the parchment and sends Joe a look. It's a very short missive, that literally says just as Draco has quoted. It's dark red with gold writing, a large ornate 'W' decorating the top. It feels heavy, too; expensive.

Joe blinks at Jake, not expecting to be addressed at any point. "What?" Jake grits his teeth and waves the parchment at him. "Ah, well." Joe looks at Draco and huffs. "I haven't a clue, man. But," he says when Jake goes to say something, "I trust Draco. If he says it'll be a happy surprise and that those guys aren't going to cause trouble, I believe him."

Draco makes a strangled squeaking noise, making both Jake and Joe look at him sharply. He waves his hands around in a very ungraceful manner and shakes his head firmly. "I did _not_ say they weren't going to 'cause trouble'. Let's be very clear on that. What I said was trouble for _Harry_. Otherwise, trouble is their middle name," he grouses with a huff.

He's lost track of how many times he'd fallen for one of their pranks. They are brilliant but horrible, untrustworthy bastards. "Turned my hair magenta more than once," he mumbles miserably.

Joe nods slowly, understanding the distinction. "That's right," he says nodding at the parchment in Jake's hand still, "You did say they were jokesters. Well, anyway, if Draco says it'll all be fine, it will be," he says with conviction and a stern nod.

He can still see uncertainty and cautiousness in Jake's eyes. He rests a hand on Jake's shoulder. "You know Draco wouldn't pull that kinda shit anymore, Jake. He wouldn't invite these guys if it wasn't going to be a good idea." He keeps the fact that he'd had his own doubts at first firmly to himself, feeling slightly bad about it. He'll have to make it up to Draco later, even if his blonde doesn't know why.

"Hermione and Luna agree," Joe adds, ignoring Draco's indignant scowl. Draco's word is good enough for him, but Jake needs a little more to push him into the right direction.

"Yeah." Jake runs his teeth over his upper lip as he stares at the parchment in his hand. He closes his eyes with a long sigh. "I know that, but I just—" He huffs and gives Draco a sharp look. "You _know_ why I'm apprehensive. If you give your word on this, fine. I won't break them in half until they cause a problem."

Draco nods quickly, absolutely certain Jake isn't just using a phrase; he would break the twins in half if they hurt Harry. He's oddly touched and grins up at Jake a moment later. "I give my word, Jake. You won't have to break the gingers. Besides, it might just make more gingers." He shudders dramatically.

"Fine," Jake says with a soft laugh, unable to help himself. "Any more surprises?"

Draco casts a sideways glance at Joe before answering. "Not really. They were very agreeable with not telling any of their family so, none there. Harry already knew I was inviting some of my friends from school."

"So, why the shifty look?" Jake asks slowly.

"Well, they didn't always get along. Don't worry!" Draco hastily assures, not wanting his friends broken in half either. "They mostly get along now. I promise." He pauses, unsure how to continue. "I'm only unsure of Goyle. He sent a very strange response. I don't know who's he's bringing with him." He pinches the bridge of his nose when Jake glares at him. "I promise he won't bring someone horrible. Goyle is very fond of both Harry and Luna."

He snorts inelegantly, still finding himself surprised at the strange friendship between Goyle and Luna, and jabs an elbow into Joe when his fiancé sends him an adoringly soppy grin.

"Hermione?"

Draco shrugs. "I have no idea if they've spoken much but there won't be any problems between them."

"Anyone else here going to be a problem for your friends?" Jake asks, thinking of Remus and Teddy. Nigel is just too nice and mellow to get on anyone's bad side.

Draco slowly shakes his head. "No. Blaise is ridiculously smitten with Teddy and I already got Theo's oh-so-regretful decline." He shrugs again. "Honestly, that was the only surprise."

"Fine then." Jake sags with a long sigh. "Fuck, this is going to be a circus with all these people here." He sighs again and rubs at his temple again. He honestly doesn't care about the full house but there are going to be so many clashing personalities.

He doesn't even want to imagine what the response would be when they all realized they'd be around vampires. Though, he briefly wonders which vampire he could ask to snack on annoying guests but easily dismisses the idea; none of them would agree and he honestly wouldn't want to freak out Jasper by even joking about it. Emmett would probably help him break people, so that could work.

Draco waves a hand at Jake. "Magic, remember? We'll get some tents."

Jake just stares at Draco. "Tents," he deadpans. "Sure. Why not?" He gives Draco an incredulous look. Is he seriously supposed to believe Mr. I'm-So-Proper-And-Rich is going to put people, his own friends, in _tents_?

"Yes." Draco just smirks and nods before turning sharply to leave the room. "Four should do it," he says over his shoulder.

Jake looks to Joe. "So. I guess we go get some tents," he says blandly.

"Sure." Joe nods, gaze on Draco's retreating form, unashamedly on his ass. "Let's do that now," he says, checking the time. "We got an appointment to check out something or other from that real estate lady, so."

As they go to head out, Jake pauses. "Do you think he literally meant magic tents?"

"Most likely," Joe says with a shrug. "We should see who can take us to that wizard mall place."

Jake nods, well aware they could see the mall when with Harry or one of his friends but not actually get in due to some strange repelling charm. It was a very awkward feeling the time he'd tried with only Teddy, since he wasn't old enough for a wand (or having any idea how to get into the wizarding shopping district) he wasn't able to get them in.

They head into the living room and both sigh with relief when they see an entire group of wizards to choose from. Remus, Nigel and Neville all look up from their various activities as the werewolves come into the room.

"Can one of you take us to the wizarding stores?"

Neville is the first to move, hopping off the sofa and setting aside the book he was reading. "Sure, mate."

"Thanks," Jake and Joe say in unison with matching relieved smiles.

Neville waves a hand and smiles, "You're welcome. I wanted to get something there anyway," he ends softly, looking away and hopefully hiding the slight blush he can feel on his face. He isn't sure what either of the two werewolves would think if they knew he wanted to pick something nice for Leah, even though he really wants to ask them what she'd like.

As they head out, he asks, "What did you want to get?"

"Magic tents," Jake says sounding only slightly unconvinced there is such a thing.

Neville just nods in understanding. Even with magic there is only so much expanding that can be done to the house without causing some difficulties. "How many?"

"Uh." Jake and Joe share a look. "Four?"

Neville nods again as he climbs into the spacious backseat of the large Muggle car. "I'm not sure they'll have something along the lines Draco wants, but we'll find something worthwhile." They can always just get regular tents and charm them but the effort is draining and not as permanent. Besides, ready to go wizarding tents practically set themselves up and all.

Jake just shrugs, not at all caring just as long as they find the tents. They spend the drive in relative quiet, Jake mostly focusing on finding his way to the wizarding shopping district. He has only been once before. Neville gets out with an impressed whistle.

"Wow. Americans really always go big, yeah?"

Joe snorts a laugh. "Of course." He eyes the brick wall they're approaching dubiously. Where's the door? Neville takes out his wand and taps some of the bricks in a seemingly random pattern and the bricks jump and rearrange themselves into a doorway.

"Holy shit, that's cool," Joe says, awed, his eyes flicking back and forth watching as the bricks move.

Neville grins and tucks his wand away. "And lucky that it's the same charm around the world," he says with relief evident in his voice as they walk through. Both Jake and Joe walk backwards, staring at the now reforming brick wall. "So, tents?" Neville asks when they finally turn back around and start looking around, obviously feeling overwhelmed.

"Yeah," Jake says slowly, completely lost where to even look.

Neville nods and heads towards a storefront that looks appropriate. He takes in the modern buildings and finds himself liking the look. All of the stores in the shopping district are different on the outside but they look similar enough it's clear they are all part of the same whole. He doesn't recognize any of the names, but it's clear enough what each sell by the various symbols or pictures on each sign.

They head towards the store with various outdoor activities pictured, he notices a pet store out of the corner of his eye and grins to himself. Maybe something for Leo would be a good idea? It's clear how much Leah cares for her cat.

"Right," Neville says and opens the door. "Just follow me."

"You bet," Joe says with a smirk. All of them give nods in greeting to the witch behind the counter, Joe looks around the store. It is a strange place. Everything looks completely ordinary but he knows it's clearly not the case.

He looks closer at a back pack, he accidentally pokes it causing it to immediately swell and expand into something that resembles a hot air balloon. Before he can even shout out for help, staring at the swelling backpack with horror and sure it's going to start smashing things, Neville is there with his wand. A simple tap sends the thing shrinking with a strange squeaking noise (it sounds like air rushing out of a pinched balloon) and it floats back onto the shelf.

"Sorry," Joe says with an embarrassed grin, "I won't touch anything else."

"Geez, Joe," Jake whines and covers his eyes in embarrassment. "Put your hands in your pockets or something," he whispers, trying not to laugh. They all see the tents at the same time and his eyes widen when he sees the price tags on them. He doesn't exactly know what the exchange is, but it seems pricy to have '$1,200' being the lowest price he can see. "Is that wizarding money or…?" he leans over to ask Neville quietly.

Neville just shrugs; he hasn't had to worry about spending money here yet. "Not sure, maybe. Is it not Galleons?" At Jake's blank look, he chuckles quietly before leaning back a bit and raising his voice, "Excuse me?"

A moment later the same witch from the front counter appears with a wide smile. None of them miss the appraising look she graces them each with and none of them appreciate it.

"Yes, sirs?" she chirps, oblivious to the matching scowls on each of the men's faces. "I'm Kate, by the way," she gushes.

Neville ignores her fluttering eyelashes and points to the nearest price tag. "Pleasure, Kate," he drones, sounding like it's anything but. "Is this regular or wizarding currency?"

"Oh! Uhm." The witch bats her eyes and steps closer, "Regular, I suppose. We don't have a separate currency in America," she says with an obvious flirting tone. "I just love your accent," she says in a near squeal, not noticing the annoyed wince. "Do you have American money?" she asks, fully intent on taking any form of money the handsome wizard has but willing to direct him to the closest bank for exchange if needed.

Neville looks to Jake and gets a nod. "Yes, so, thank you," he says, his tone dismissive. The annoying witch doesn't take the hint so he turns away from her and makes a show of inspecting the shelves.

"You both don't look British," Kate says, her hand twitching with desire to grab one of them, squeeze their muscled arms with appreciation. A heated glare from the tallest one makes her step back, smile faltering. "I'll be up front if you need anything else," she says quietly and hurries back to the counter, only slightly confused why none of the handsome wizards even gave her a second glance. Not a one of them are wearing rings. She leans around her counter to peek at the group again. They don't act like single men, either. Pity.

Joe snorts with amusement at the witch's retreating back. "Easy, Jake," he says lightly. "You honestly can't blame the poor girl."

Jake narrows his eyes at Joe and smirks. "Sure, I'll just let Draco know she was—"

"Fuck off!" Joe hisses and turns away to inspect the tents with Neville. "So," he says louder than needed. "Which one looks good?"

Neville looks at the shelves thoughtfully. His gaze keeps wandering towards the most expensive ones. "Probably these," he points. None of them can look at the $7,500 price tag without wincing. "I know," Neville says with a helpless shrug. "But these are the ones that'll work out." He worries his bottom lip for a moment. "I feel a little bad spending so much."

Jake reaches around Neville and grabs two of the tents. "I know, but Harry won't mind and I don't think any of us wants to hear Draco bitch," he says with a grin at Joe.

Joe only shrugs with an agreeable nod; he's already expecting an earful from earlier and he's hoping a good shopping trip will earn him a nice reward instead of whining. "What makes these things so expensive, anyway?" he says looking at the plain looking canvas with a dubious expression.

Neville grabs another tent before handing it to Joe and grabbing a fourth. "I'm sure it's got extensive charms on it. The good, permanent ones are rather costly." Neville explains, absently reading the tag dangling from the tent cover.

"Charms?" Joe and Jake ask at the same time. "I mean," Joe adds, "we know what they are, but what kinds would you put on a tent?" he asks, looking the tent in his hands with confusion and curiosity. It really does look ordinary.

Neville hums thoughtfully. "Expanding charms. Windows. Heaters, all manner of things really." He glances down at the tag again and reads it out loud. "This model has a master bathroom, small kitchen, two bedrooms and even has Muggle hookups," he ends, impressed. "I'm guessing that means electric and phones. The usual protection and Muggle repelling charms as well." He's sure the wards around the property would do that but it never does hurt to be safe.

"Bathroom?" Jake asks. Did they have to hook it up to the plumbing?

"Kitchen?" Joe chokes out. How the hell does all that fit in a little dinky tent? He's never felt so confused and 'Muggle-ish' until now.

"Yeah," Neville says causally. "So, you can see why they're more than a normal tent, yeah?" Both men nod, still looking shocked. "Well, I think that's it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jake says with a thoughtful expression. He looks back on the shelf at the most expensive tent. $12,000. Wow. He carefully turns the tag so he can see it. Wow. A huge master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom as well as an additional 'house work' charm, which he could only imagine kept everything clean without having to do anything. Cool. "Do we have to get stuff to go inside?"

Neville wiggles his hand in the air. "Sort of. We can get some cots they can transfigure into proper beds." He glances at the tag again. "Otherwise, no." He doesn't think they'd need to outfit the kitchen since he knows Harry will insist anyone staying in them should eat with everyone; together.

He wanders over to some camping gear and looks at the cots. "Are they a good price? Or should we go to a Muggle store?"

"Nah," Joe says, looking at the tag, and shrugs. "Not much different anywhere you go, man." He grabs four and follows as Neville heads to the front. "Shit," he mutters under his breath as they near the counter and the witch leans forward on the counter, pressing her breasts together as she watches them approach. "Ugh," he groans softly. Even before he met his Draco, he didn't appreciate breasts in his face.

Thankfully, they escape the store without any more obvious flirting attempts or manhandling. Neville impresses them both by wandlessly shrinking everything small enough to stuff inside a pocket of their cutoffs.

"Ice cream?" Neville asks.

"Sure," they both answer in unison again. They immediately change direction and head towards the ice cream shop. As they enter, Jake is the first to notice Neville isn't with them. Panic flairs briefly but he calms quickly; Neville isn't helpless. But he hopes they haven't lost the other man, they really have no way to contact him. "Shit," Jake mutters.

"What?"

"We lost Neville," Jake says quietly, looking out the shop door. He steps back outside and looks around, finally catching a glimpse of Neville popping out of a pet store. "What the—?" Neville is blushing slightly and tucking a small box into the pocket of his jeans as his eyes dart around. Jake raises an eyebrow when Neville sees him and blushes again. "Thought we lost you, man," he says when Neville gets close enough to hear him.

"Er, sorry," Neville says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just had to, er, pick up something."

Joe peeks around Jake and pokes Neville playfully in the shoulder. "You could have just said. We woulda waited." He grins at the still blushing wizard. He can only guess what Neville was doing in the pet shop, being as the only pet he could think of is Leo. Or the weird owl, but he doesn't think that Mortimer counted as a pet, per se or even know what you'd get for an owl.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Ice cream?" Neville asks quickly, hoping to divert their attention so they won't ask what he bought. They don't strike him as nosy but it isn't exactly unwarranted to ask. Both men give him a last look before allowing attention to be diverted. They head back inside and Neville doesn't think he's ever seen a single person eat over 10 different scoops of ice cream in one sitting, with barely a noticeable pause, before.

~oOo~

As the week passes, everything starts to move in a faster pace. Maybe it was just the slight panicky feeling as they got closer and closer to the wedding date made it seem faster. Being it is now only a week away.

Draco is, privately, in a panic as he waits for his friends and the twin red nightmares to finally show up. Blaise and Goyle should be arriving sometime today, while the twin devils haven't bothered to tell him when they'd arrive. It could be any time between now and the wedding. It makes Draco's eye want to twitch with annoyance.

In Harry's opinion, time is moving much faster than normal. He isn't panicking, exactly, but he is getting anxious. He didn't worry about the bonding wizard any more, since he'd found one after checking with the American Wizarding Bureau. There wasn't even a pause when he mentioned he was bonding with Jake, not even when he said it was a double ceremony; just a calm reciting of a large fee, request for the pertinent information, feigned congratulations and then a dial tone.

He'd gone through three different fittings before the robes were to Draco's liking. He didn't mind after he saw the fit and fondled the fabric as he modeled the final robes. Joe and Jake only had to go through it once, each with good grace and patience as the seamstress seemed to touch and fondle them overly as she went about the fitting. Harry had snorted with amusement when Draco glared daggers at the handsy witch. Until she moved onto Jake. He barely refrained from taking out his wand but did remind the woman, only sounding slightly catty, Jake was there for bonding ceremony robes.

Pansy and Hermione modeled their Indigo dress robes at every opportunity; Luna and Leah rolled their eyes but they both enjoyed their robes as well. Hermione giggled like a teenager when she had tried it on the first time. Pansy, in the nicest voice anyone had heard to date, offered to help Hermione tame her hair. Harry rolled his eyes, both in relief at Hermione's easy acceptance and with slight annoyance when another burst of giggles erupted and a large gaggle of women (including two very excited vampires at that point), save for Leah, hurried from the room amongst whispers of hair potions and charmed combs.

Teddy got a matching set of robes in a light grey color, at Draco's insistence, so he could be the ring bearer. He was thrilled he got to have robes that matched all the grooms and such an important job, seeing as he was carrying _four_ rings and not just two. Remus choked slightly when Teddy demanded to know when he was marrying his special friend Nigel, much to everyone else's laughter.

Draco kept putting off filling out the rest of the wedding party until Blaise showed up, wanting to ask him in person to stand in with him. Harry couldn't blame him; he'd been able to ask Neville in person, so it only seemed fair. Jake had asked a stunned, very pleased Seth to be his best man. Joe asked an even more stunned Emmett to stand with him. Emmett gaped like a fish for a long moment before accepting, trying to joke that Joe obviously didn't have anyone else to ask. Joe's easy shrug and lack of denial made both Emmett and Jasper, who got a massive wave of Emmett's emotions, feel choked up. Manly hugs were shared, much to Harry and Luna's amusement.

Harry rolls his eyes as he steps into the kitchen to see Draco stomping around the room. Why does everything happen in the kitchen when he just wants a nice cuppa?

"I'm going to tear out _every_ blonde hair on her head!" Draco rants, pacing the kitchen. His fist is clenched and raised in front of him as if he was holding said hair.

Harry winces slightly as he leans against the counter, far from Draco's path. "What? Why?" he asks slowly, unsure if he really wants to know. Draco is either ranting about Luna, which was possible or more likely, Rosalie. He resists rolling his eyes as he readies his tea, keeping one eye on the pacing blonde.

"Rosalie!" Draco hisses and narrows his eyes at Harry as he stalks closer. "Do you know what that _bint_ did?" Harry just shakes his head, not daring to speak; he really can't fake the appropriate amount of outrage Draco would require. "She had to _audacity_ to talk Luna out of her place in the wedding party! That conniving vampire butt into _our_ wedding!"

Harry blinks for longer than is necessary. "What? Why?" he repeats.

"She claims it was Luna's idea. Fucking Looney!" Draco hisses and shakes a fist.

Harry taps his chin thoughtfully and shrugs. "So?" He feels a little sad Luna backed out; he didn't know she hadn't really wanted to be that big a part of it.

" _So_?" Draco demands. "I did not plan on this!" he says, barely restraining the urge to stamp his foot, knowing Harry (the complete and utter bastard) will only laugh at him if he does.

Harry snorts a laugh before he can stop it. "So, you're only ranting and raving like an utter nutter because it wasn't something you _planned_?" He shakes his head at a slowly calming Draco.

"Yes." Draco glares at Harry. "Why else?" He really doesn't have a big problem with Rosalie being in the wedding party, she looks absolutely stunning in the elegant dress robes and her man is included as well, but she snuck in! "Little sneaky vampire," he hisses under his breath. At Harry's continued amused staring, he huffs and pouts, calming down finally. "Fine," he concedes with an absent wave of his hand. "I over-reacted," he admits sheepishly.

Harry cocks his head slightly and looks at Draco intently. "Why is that?" He doesn't say it outright, but he's noticed Draco's antsy behavior increasing the past few days. It doesn't seem all together about the wedding either; everything is basically set and ready to go. They've even got the wedding bands safely stored in their respective dressers.

Draco sputters ungracefully. "I'm just anxious for Blaise to get here," he finally mutters. It's only half the truth, but it's true enough to work for Harry. He's not sure why he can't summon his damn emotionless mask anymore and it's annoying him as well.

He wouldn't have had this problem even a year ago.

"Ah," Harry says and pats Draco's shoulder softly. "He did say he'd be here today, yeah?" At Draco's nod, he smiles. "There. No worries. We're all one big happy family," he teases playfully and sips his tea.

Draco just nods, forcing a smile on his face. Before he can worry how fake it might appear, they hear the floo activate. Harry slaps him on the back happily and moves past him to go greet their newest arrival.

Draco heads into the main room, not at all surprised it's packed with nearly everyone. Emmett and Seth are playing another video game as Teddy cheers them both on. Jake, Joe, Luna, Leah, Alice, Neville and Billy are all watching a movie which is now paused as they look to the floo with expectant expressions.

He spots Jasper sitting closest to the floo. His eyes narrow slightly wondering where the other vampires are. Hermione is already barricaded in the library with Carlisle, even though both said they'd want to be around for Blaise's arrival. He pauses momentarily when he realizes it might not actually be Blaise. Remus and Nigel preferred to hang back until later; neither man being very close to Blaise and probably expecting a less than warm greeting.

The green flames wink out and Blaise gracefully walks into the room, dusting himself off. His eyes widen ever so slightly as he takes in the large group of people. His gaze flits around the room, quickly. He sees Harry first and greets him with a handshake before he sees Draco.

"Draco! How are you mate?" he nearly shouts and grabs Draco in a tight hug.

Draco makes a breathless _oomph_ , not at all expecting Blaise's gregarious hug. He awkwardly pats Blaise on the back, sending Joe an apologetic look (and gets an understanding smile in return) before he leans back to look at his friend. He hasn't seen Blaise for months, even before he had come to America.

"Looking good, mate," he grins.

Blaise chuckles and smooths his robes importantly. "Of course." He smirks but it melts into an easy grin. "Pansy about?" Blaise looks around and swallows heavily as he finally takes in the filled room again. He has nearly forgotten about all the strangers. He steps towards Draco, his voice low. "Mate, who are all these people?" he asks, gaze darting around to everyone in the room again.

He hadn't expected such a large crowd, even so close to the wedding. He's picking up a lot of very confusing magical energies and sends Draco a look that clearly asks for answers. A slight nod is his only answer for now. He stares at the pale people in the room, sitting amongst his friends and swallows thickly when he realizes he's looking at vampires. The knowledge that they are sitting there with complete calm keeps _him_ calm until he can get some answers.

Draco smiles. "This is really going to test that memory to yours." He proceeds to point at everyone around the room with a brief introduction. Everyone greets Blaise with a friendly wave and smile, even Leah. Draco is unsurprised to see Jasper relax as Blaise relaxes as well. The dark wizard's shoulders slumping as much as his posture will allow as he gets a little more comfortable with the filled room.

As soon as he waves to the last person, a very small girl with black short hair and amber eyes, Teddy launches himself across the room, right at Blaise with a high pitched war cry.

Blaise easily catches the small boy and throws him up in the air, eliciting loud giggles. "Hey little man!" he says happily, settling Teddy on his hip. "You've gotten huge! Did your daddy use an engorgement charm on you?" he asks with mock seriousness as he lightly pinches various parts of Teddy.

Unknown to Blaise, his attention solely on Teddy, every person in the room previously unsure of the newcomer just breathed a collective sigh of relief and raised their opinion of the wizard. Anyone that smitten, and showing it, with Teddy is welcome.

Teddy giggles, his hair blazing bright orange, and shakes his head. "No, I _growed_ ," he says importantly. "I'm gonna be in the wedding, unk Baiz!" he crows, shouting it right in Blaise's ear.

Blaise lets his eyes go wide and shocked for Teddy's benefit; it's so easy to amuse the kid. "Really?" he asks, inserting just enough disbelief in his voice.

"Uh huh!" Teddy nods emphatically. "And! I get to cawry the wrings!" He leans in close to whisper in Blaise's ear, "I been practicin' so I don't twrip or dwrop them," he says, his chocolate brown eyes, an exact shade match to Blaise's, dart around to make sure no one else heard him. Small smiles on all of the werewolf and vampire faces tell him he wasn't quiet enough but he shrugs it off. Emmett and Jasper are helping him anyways.

Blaise nods knowingly. "Good idea, Tedders." Teddy beams at him causing a similar response from Blaise before he can help it. He slowly looks away from Teddy at Harry's not-so-quiet laugh and he nearly blushes at the large audience. He has completely forgotten they aren't alone in the large room. Luckily, his unease is short lived since everyone is looking back at him with smiles or has returned to what they had been doing.

"So." He clears his throat and focuses on Draco. "Congratulations, Malfoy," he says with a genuine smile. He has, of course, already owled his congratulations, but one said it in person as well. He claps his friend affectionately on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Blaise," Draco says softly and leans forward to take Teddy from his friend and passes him to Jasper, who quickly takes the child with a small smile. Teddy immediately giggles and climbs up the vampire like a monkey in a tree. He grins and turns back to Blaise, nodding slightly in understanding to his wide-eyed expression. He can understand his friend's surprise to see a vampire playing with Teddy. "Trunk?"

Blaise shrugs and just pats a pocket. "I packed light," he says with a wave but eyes Draco curiously. If he didn't know better, he'd think Draco was nervous and just barely holding back a fidget. "Got any tea ready?" he asks, hoping a moment alone will help Draco get whatever is bothering him off his chest.

Draco's relief is obvious but he doesn't care. "Yeah, sure, come on." He turns abruptly and heads towards the kitchen, checking to make sure Blaise is following out of the corner of his eye. He also sees Joe following behind Blaise, and quietly snickers when Blaise does a double take and pales a little when he notices the large man following. "Joe," he murmurs, low but that he's sure his fiancé can hear, "down." He aims a smile over his shoulder at Joe.

As soon as they get in the kitchen, Blaise settles himself in a chair, warily eyeing Joe, and watches Draco move around the kitchen with ease.

"You do this a lot," Blaise says and it's nearly a question. He's trying not to look or sound surprised. Draco puttering around in a muggle kitchen isn't something he'd think he'd ever see.

"Sure," Draco says with an easy shrug as he gets the kettle ready. He turns and leans back on the counter, just smiling back at Blaise for a moment before his eyes dart to Joe. He groans softly, rolling his eyes, when Joe smirks back at him with an exaggerated head jerk at Blaise. "Pardon me a moment," Draco murmurs to Blaise and grabs Joe's wrist, ignoring the confused expression as he pulls Joe from the room into the short hallway outside of the kitchen.

He immediately pushes Joe against the wall and slumps against him, pressing himself close, so he can rest his forehead against Joe's neck as he wraps his arms around Joe's waist.

This is one of the few times Draco enjoys the few inches Joe has over him. It just makes for a more comforting cuddle. He sighs with contentment when he feels Joe's arms immediately wrap around his back, his nose nuzzles behind his ear before lips gently settle against his temple.

"Thanks," Draco murmurs after a few silent moments. He feels slightly less panicky, but he knows it won't go away completely until the twin devils haunt them with their presence.

"Any time, love," Joe answers easily. After another few moments, he leans down slightly to softly place a trail of light kisses across Draco's neck and jaw. "Are you that worried Blair will say no or…?" he trails off, leaving the other option open for Draco to share or not.

Draco snorts with amusement. "Blaise, love," he corrects gently. He chuckles softly, enjoying the idea of Joe calling him Blair. He leans back, rolling his eyes slightly when Joe's hands slide down to eagerly cup his arse. He doesn't want to hide out in the hallway that long; he doesn't want to have to re-boil the water and he doesn't think Blaise would actually set up his own sodding tea either.

"And no, not really. I'm more worried about the dev— The twins. I have no idea when they're coming," he says, not bothering to hide the whine in his voice.

"Ah," Joe says with a slight nod. "That is annoying. Is there a reason they haven't said?"

"Because the gits thrive on chaos and disorder," Draco grouses and lets his head flop ungracefully onto Joe's shoulder with an annoyed groan. "Other than that? I'm not sure. I've owled twice with no response," he says with a slight frown. "I supposes it's not worth fretting over."

Joe shakes his head and smooths a thumb up Draco's forehead, smoothing out his frown. "Nope. Not worth the wrinkles, love."

"Ha ha," Draco scoffs. He kisses Joe quickly and slowly slides off his body and heads back into the kitchen. To his surprise, Blaise is sitting there with three mugs of steaming tea, an expectant, and rather smug, look on his face when he comes back in with Joe immediately following. "Huh," he says as he sits and pulls both of the mugs unclaimed by Blaise closer. At Blaise's questioning look, he shrugs. "Joe isn't a tea drinker."

Joe coughs nervously at Blaise's blank look. "American," he says in answer. "I, uh, like tea iced," he offers helpfully, hoping it's good enough and just shrugs at the slightly horrified look on the other wizard's face and sits next to Draco, his arm casually draped on the back of his chair.

After long moments spent with the two just sipping their tea, Joe pokes a finger between Draco's shoulder blades. "Ask him," he encourages when Draco shoots him a glare.

"Fine!" Draco huffs and slaps at Joe. He turns to Blaise, still annoyed, and just blurts out "Blaise, be my best man?" He blinks a moment later, stunned at his lack of finesse. Merlin, these Gryffindors and Americans are ruining his suaveness.

Blaise stares for a moment before a large grin spreads on his face. "Of course," he says and claps a hand on the Draco's shoulder. "Is that what had your knickers in a twist?"

"No." Draco ignores Joe's snort of amusement and shrugs one shoulder. "Kind of. And thanks," he says with a smile. As he ponders his other woes, he looks at Blaise. "You ever see the Weasley twins?"

Blaise nods thoughtfully. "Sure," he answers slowly, unsure why Draco is asking. "Just saw them last week, now that you mention it." He keeps the fact that he sees Fred quite frequently to himself for the moment. Draco has never been fond of the red-headed clan and he's not about to open himself up to taunts or judgement.

"Really?" Draco demands, sitting up straighter and frowning slightly. "Did they mention the wedding, by any chance?"

Blaise huffs. "Only after I did, sneaky gits," he says, trying not to let fondness seep into his tone. "Once I said I was coming here for it, they said they were as well."

He's looking forward to seeing them again, especially somewhere he isn't expected to hold up some ridiculous pretense and he can talk with the twins easily. It has been way too long since he was able to socialize with Harry and his circle of friends, all of which he had come quite close to. Regardless of what they might think, he highly respects Remus and has no care at all he's with Nigel. This is going to be a very nice visit.

"Did they say when?" Joe asks.

Blaise looks away from Draco and shrugs one shoulder. "Probably tomorrow. They were considering flooing with me but they mentioned having to tie up some things for the store first."

He looks at Joe thoughtfully, realizing he hasn't heard the other man speak much. His eyes narrow once he focuses on the magical aura surrounding Joe; it's off slightly and he doesn't know what to make of it. He's obviously not a Muggle and fully aware of magic since he saw the floo and didn't bat an eye when Draco had levitated the kettle and mugs earlier. He peeks at Draco from the corner of his eye and sees his blonde friend worrying his bottom lip. Draco knows he reads magical auras and his clear apprehension is more than a little confusing.

Blaise leans back in his chair, forgetting all about the Weasley twins for the moment. "Alright, now if it's none of my business, you can tell me to sod off and I'll respect that." He pauses long enough to get nods from both men. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

Draco looks to Joe and huffs when his fiancé only shrugs in response. At Draco's glare, Joe rolls his eyes. "Your call, love."

"Very helpful, thank you, darling," Draco says with a small frown. He sighs after contemplating what, if anything, to tell Blaise. "What do you mean?" he finally asks.

Blaise gives Draco a blank look. "Really? You're going to play dumb?" At Draco's continued silence, he scoffs. "Fine. I _mean_ , I noticed vampires in there," he says as he hooks a thumb towards the main room he had floo'd into. "And your fiancé... Well, he certainly isn't a wizard, Draco."

Joe nods, smiling. "Can I ask how you knew all of that?"

"I can read magical auras," Blaise says simply. He notices the impressed expression on Joe's face and smirks. "The vampires are… odd but obvious when you know what to look for. Obviously none of this is surprising to you?"

Joe shakes his head with a soft chuckle. "Nope." He moves his arm to drape across Draco's shoulders instead of his chair and leans in to talk lowly in Draco's ear. "If you think Jake will mind, don't worry about that. I get the feeling Blair here isn't going to freak out."

Draco holds back a laugh and doesn't correct Joe again. "Seriously?" he says quietly, turning slightly to murmur in Joe's ear. He sends Blaise an apologetic smile, knowing his friend is still waiting on an answer. When he feels Joe nod against his lips, he purses them and kisses below his ear lightly. "Right, then."

He gives Blaise a long, appraising look. "There are indeed vampires here. They're, as they call it, vegetarian vampires. You noticed the lack of red eyes and trying to snack on you, yes?" Blaise nods, with a growing smile. "Yes, we're guessing it's because they're Muggle vampires that makes them so different from what we're used to dealing with." Both wizards shudder slightly in memory. "It's quite a large coven, I'll make sure to introduce you properly since quite a few of them weren't there when you came in. I think you'd get along very well with Jasper."

"Alright," Blaise says with a nod. "There's more," he says with a pointed look at Draco before his eyes flick to Joe briefly.

Draco rubs the back of his neck. "Yes, but—" He huffs and whines out, "I don't think I'm allowed to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Long story," Draco says simply.

Blaise shares a brief look with Joe before giving his attention back to Draco. "He said it was alright," he says, cocking his head at Joe.

"Yes," Draco gives Joe a soft look and covers his large hand with his. "I know but, erm, well, I'd have to ask Jake."

Blaise tries not to show his surprise. He's never seen his friend so soft and sweet before. He almost expects Joe to look offended but he doesn't; the man looks more amused than anything. And utterly smitten. "I get it. Really. It's not like I've never been kept in the dark before."

"Shit," Draco says and winces. "I know," he says softly. A long sigh and Draco sits back and tells Blaise exactly what he knows about Joe and the pack. He reminds his friend about Remus and Nigel being there, only slightly unsurprised at Blaise's easy acceptance of everything. "I haven't told Pansy. She still thinks Joe is a wizard," he says with a wry smile.

Blaise laughs. "Alright." He smirks and mentally preens with the knowledge of being more informed than Pansy. He looks Joe over closely, not at all surprised to only get a calm expression back from the large man. "So, you're stuck with this git, yeah?" he says to Joe with a nod towards Draco.

"Oi!"

Joe chuckles. "In a manner of speaking. I'm in no way at all disappointed," he simpers and peppers noisy kisses on Draco's cheek. He smiles softly as his Draco's cheeks pink delicately. He doesn't stop his love sick sigh, "I thank every deity daily for my Draco." He knows it sounds cheesy, but it's true. And the pink on Draco's cheeks deepens ever-so-slightly, a clear indicator that his blonde knows it, too.

Blaise's eyebrows slide up his forehead, both at Joe's words and Draco's pink cheeks and sappy smile he is currently aiming at Joe. "I see," he says after a moment. "I'm thrilled beyond words for you, mate."

Draco just nods his thanks but can't think of a single answer for it. He still occasionally doesn't believe he deserves Joe, but he's way too selfish to do anything as noble as give him up even if such a thing were possible. Eventually, he phases out into his own little world as Joe and Blaise talk and get to know each other a little better. He barely notices when Joe pulls him closer, nearly into his lap and he certainly doesn't notice Blaise's amusement as he watches the two interact.

With the information Draco gave him about the pack and the whole imprinting, Blaise finds himself looking forward to watching Harry and Jake interact quite a bit.

~oOo~

Neville finally finds Leah alone. Granted, he has had to practically stalk her and wait for her to come out of the bathroom. But still… He nervously fingers the box through his pocket.

He's relieved when he sees she's without Leo. He does like the kitten but it leaves her with very little distractions and he's hoping to actually have a conversation with her and having her full attention. He frowns slightly when he notices that when she sees him, her eyes dart around before firmly fixing on his shoulder and she stops rather far away from him.

"Hi, Leah," he says quietly.

"Hey."

"Erm, so." Neville pauses for a moment, horrified he can't think of anything to say. "Do you like the robes? For the wedding," he finally blurts out.

Leah smiles slightly, only seeing Neville's goofy smile from the corner of her eye as she's still not willing to look at him fully yet. "I do, actually. The fabric is so fucking smooth." She wills away a blush, telling herself Neville is used to her foul mouth. "I didn't think I'd like how they look, but they're nice."

She's tried on the elegant dark blue robes a few times and just ran her hands down the smooth fabric for long moments. She didn't think she'd look good in the dark blue, but it really looks good on her. She idly wonders what Neville's reaction would be if he saw her wearing the robes. How annoying.

"I can only imagine how they must look to a Muggle," Neville says and then winces. Merlin, he sounds like an arsehole. He bites the inside of his cheek, unsure how to fix his statement.

Leah's smile grows slightly. "I'm not quite a Muggle," she says and slowly raises her eyes to the ceiling. "I'm not looking forward to wearing heels, though. I'm going to break my fucking neck." Or maybe an ankle, she thinks with an annoyed huff.

"Yeah." Neville has to bite his tongue on his offer to help her. First, he might have to admit he's worn heels, _once_ , and secondly he doesn't know how she'll take his offer of a near constant escort. He'd gladly carry her around, if needs must. "They are tricky," he says lamely instead.

With a soft groan, he's nearly ready to bolt away but draws on his courage and pulls the box out from his pocket. He unshrinks it (completely missing Leah's full body shudder in his focus) and thrusts it towards Leah hurriedly, almost rudely. "Here."

Leah takes it and focuses only on sliding the lid off the box, her fingers still a little shaky. Her whole body is still throbbing pleasantly from being so close to Neville's magic. As she opens it and looks inside, her face hardens and she has to remind herself not to look up.

"Is this a fucking joke?"

"Huh?" Neville stares blankly at her.

Leah's shoulders shake slightly and her voice is louder than she intends, but she doesn't bother trying to control herself. "Is. This. A. Fucking. Joke?" she repeats slowly, noticing Seth's eyes peeking around the corner. She nearly rolls her eyes; fucking super sensitive wolf hearing. She's not at all sorry for Neville and is looking forward to Joe and Jake joining the party any moment.

"No," Neville says weakly, completely confused. He looks into the box and it slowly dawns on him. He looks up, horrified. "No! No, I promise it's not," he stammers and backs up a step, his hands and head shaking.

He groans and slaps himself in the forehead when he sees Joe and Seth sidle into the hallway behind Leah. As they both look into the box, twin looks of slowly dawning anger appears on their faces and Neville seriously considers running off. He's never seen either werewolf look angry before and he's horrified it's directed at him. Panic and fear surge through him, stealing his breath for a moment.

He's almost sure he could raise his wand if needed, but the thought that they'd think he'd do something cruel to Leah is more upsetting at the moment.

"So, explain," Leah demands, keeping her eyes firmly on the box in her hand. If it isn't _Neville_ , she doesn't think she'd ask for an explanation. It's clearly some kind of joke. Oh, ha-ha get the wolf girl a collar. Fucking hilarious. She nearly glares up at Neville numerous times and if, indeed, that would cause the imprint chain reaction she does not want it to be now. Not with the possibility of him insulting her. Frankly, she'd never expect this kind of thing from Neville.

She blinks rapidly, eyes stinging, and she fists her free hand in an effort to control the impulse to cry.

Neville carefully steps forward, his eyes darting nervously to each of the agitated werewolves warily and slowly pulls the bejeweled collar from the box. A soft, golden leather collar with small jewels embedded along the collar. He thought it would go beautifully with Leo's eyes and had to buy it the moment he saw it.

"I swear; I got it for Leo. I didn't get a tag because you already had one. I thought it would look really nice on him. It matches his eyes, yeah? I didn't know what you'd like but I wanted to get you something nice…" he trails off as he realizes he's babbling.

Seth lurches forward and Neville flinches before he realizes the young wolf is laughing delightedly and punching him good-naturedly in the shoulder.

"Oh man, your face!" Seth howls through another laugh. "Nice one, man," he says with a small smile as he points to the collar and heads back into the main room after giving Neville a pat on the shoulder. He likes Neville a lot but he would have totally kicked his ass if he had pulled some kind of mean joke getting the collar for Leah. Imprint or not (which he's pretty sure is the case) he'd tear Neville a new one. Of course, he thinks with a grin, Leah should have a pink collar with a lot more jewels on it.

Joe gives Neville a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry, I just… Leah was pissed." He shrugs, not sure what else to say. He won't apologize for backing up a pack mate. He smiles with a bit of relief when he sees understanding on Neville's face.

"Yeah," Neville nods slowly, swallowing repeatedly to re-wet his mouth and throat. "I understand," he says honestly. Even without the pack dynamic, he knows they'd be behind Leah unquestioningly. He understands and respects that.

Joe nods in apology again, relieved and slightly ashamed he had thought the worst of the wizard, and follows after Seth after clapping Neville on the shoulder as well. He had left Draco and Blair as soon as he heard Leah's angry shouting; Draco hadn't even blinked twice when he hurried from the room and he didn't really care what Blair thought.

"Oh," Leah says softly, running a finger along the edge of the beautiful collar and fighting a blush. "I'm sorry," she says in a near whisper. "I shouldn't have— I know you wouldn't do something like that."

She pulls the collar out and inspects it closely. Her eyes widen slightly as she looks at the jewels and wonders if they're real or not. It's hard to tell and she's not sure it's important. She runs a finger along the leather and smiles; it's as soft as butter. Leo probably won't even feel it. She's almost sorry to replace the collar that Harry had made for Leo but this is something special.

Neville just nods mutely, still too stunned about the last few minutes to speak yet. He watches Leah inspect the collar, hoping she likes it and silently wills her to look up at him.

"Why is it so large?" Leah asks, peeking up through her lashes and bangs at Neville. Luckily—or unluckily, depending on how she wants to look at it—Neville is staring at his shoes and doesn't meet her eyes.

"It's charmed to re-size automatically. So, it'll grow with him," Neville says, shifting nervously. "The protective charms will keep it looking new." He can feel a very strange tingling across his skin and glances up to find Leah looking at him intently. He blinks when he realizes he's tingling wherever her gaze lands. "Leah?"

He gasps when her eyes finally dart up and meet his. A strange lightheadedness settles over him as he feels his magic flair and he notices Leah sway slightly on her feet, her pretty brown eyes fluttering.

"Oh fuck. _Neville_ ," she says quietly and pitches forward. Her eyes roll back into her head and she's barely aware of being caught and held tightly against a hard chest. "Fuck," she mutters in wonder, staring up at Neville unabashedly now.

Her whole body shudders with a strange, nearly electrical shiver of almost painful pleasure. She's very tempted to fist Neville's hair in her hands and kiss his face off. Between her arms not cooperating and Neville's concerned expression, she keeps her arms tucked against his chest as she slowly calms, feeling like she's floating back into her body. She shivers at the alien sensation.

God, would it have felt so… amazing if Neville isn't a wizard? She's never cared to ask the others in her old pack how they felt when they'd imprinted. Joe and Jake are the only ones who'd ever gone into it; neither counted, in her opinion, because they had wizards, too.

"What just happened?" Neville whispers, relieved beyond words that Leah hasn't lost consciousness. She has dropped the box but the collar is still clutched tightly in her hand. Leah's other hand rises up and she strokes a finger down his cheek. He shivers pleasantly and his eyes flutter closed. "Leah?" His mind is stuttering and filling with ideas, thoughts and crazy images. He doesn't even think to shift Leah out of his lap, completely unaware he's now rudely poking her.

Leah's head wobbles as she tries to shake it unsuccessfully. "Shut up a minute," she murmurs sluggishly and closes her eyes a moment. "Little bitch." She groans, realizing Luna was right; she nearly fainted like some bimbo in a cheesy romance novel-turned movie. Ugh.

Neville frowns and gently taps Leah's cheek. "What?" He's more concerned with her slightly slurred words than being called a 'little bitch' at the moment.

"Not you," Leah says and smiles up at Neville, making him blink and then beam down at her. "Me," she clarifies slowly and shakes her head. After a long moment she feels better, shifting in Neville's lap a little. "Sorry."

Neville only tightens his hold, in no way allowing her up yet. She still looks wobbly and he isn't ready to let go yet; she feels wonderfully natural perched in his lap.

"What just happened?" he repeats. He has heard very little about the werewolf imprinting process but he has a very good idea he has just experienced it. Firsthand. The idea makes him lightheaded with giddiness. He's finally gotten his magic to settle down and he notices Leah gazing up at him with wonder still in her eyes. It's a very odd expression to see on Leah's face, it makes his stomach flip flop and tighten pleasantly.

Leah hunches her shoulder slightly but doesn't look away. "You've got very pretty eyes," she murmurs, distractedly. Why the fuck did she avoid looking at them for so long? They're warm and promise... everything. Neville's eyes crinkle in the corners as he smiles at her again and she smiles back, a finger slowly tracing along one of his cheekbones to slide down his fine jaw. "Pretty face, too." She frowns and shakes her head. No, that's not right. Neville isn't pretty. He's handsome. Sexy. Oh, and adorable, she adds when his cheeks pink.

"Well." Neville chuckles softly even as his cheeks heat up. "I was sure you hadn't bumped your head until now." He doesn't question her frown or shaking head, sure that she's realizing how wrong she is for calling him pretty.

Leah swats him, hard. "Shut up. I say you're pretty, you just fucking agree. Got it?"

"Mmkay." Neville grins and nods. He nearly recommends the adjectives of handsome or rugged or maybe even gorgeous, but he could live with pretty if it made Leah's eyes warm up like that.

Leah grins back. "You're so easy." Her grin turns into a leer, her eyes dark and half lidded. She kinda hopes Neville _is_ easy; she's not sure how long she can resist pouncing on him. She's pretty sure Neville has no idea he's poking her in the ass with his sizable erection, so she keeps quiet on that. She doesn't want to embarrass him but mostly she just doesn't want him to move and deny her the sensation. She nearly wiggles her ass into him, but refrains somehow.

"Oh." Neville blinks as his cheeks heat up even more. "Well, I…" He looks away awkwardly for a moment and clears his throat, unsure how to respond. She can't possibly mean that the way he's thinking… Though, her lusty expression is hard to deny. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head? Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Leah reaches up and pats his cheek tenderly, smiling when Neville's face tilts into her hand unconsciously. "Sorry," she murmurs, feeling bad for making Neville uncomfortable. "I'll be good." She sits up slightly, still making sure Neville's arms don't loosen from her body.

She sighs and nibbles her bottom lip for a long moment. Will Neville freak out? Did he feel anything?

"What do you know about imprinting?" she finally asks. She's pretty sure Draco and Harry had both talked to him about it when Neville first got here and was so shocked at their fast paced relationships. She can only hope he won't feel trapped or be upset about it. Harry and Draco both took the whole thing rather well, considering.

Neville blinks at Leah again before a smile slowly forms on his face. "I've heard a little bit about it."

~oOo~

The next time the floo flairs, the only people in the main room are Luna, Harry, Emmett and Jasper. All four look up as the flames fade out. Two mouths drop in shock.

"Gregory!" Luna shrieks happily and launches herself at the burly wizard as soon as he clears the grate. "Oh my!" she gushes when she sees his two companions. She bounces on her toes and claps her hands excitedly, barely restraining herself from relieving Gregory of his adorable burden.

"Greg," Harry says, his voice still shocked. "How's it going, mate?" He glances briefly at the large trunk that _thunks_ out behind the small group and hopes they've enough room. Enchanted tents or not, there is going to be some shared rooms. He smiles warmly at the group and waves a hand, welcoming them further into the room.

Goyle's beaming smile aimed at Luna morphs into a sheepish one when he looks towards Harry. "Hi, Harry," he says quietly, ducking his head and hunching his shoulders slightly, still not used to calling him 'Harry'. He's still unsure how Harry can be so nice to him after everything that's happened between them but he's grateful for it nonetheless. He knows he's at Harry's house because Draco invited him but he also knows Harry would have easily denied Draco from extending the invitation.

"Congratulations. I'm good. You?"

Harry grins and steps close enough to grab Greg's free hand in a tight grip with both of his. "Thanks, mate. Bloody brilliant." His green eyes practically sparkle with curiosity as he looks at Goyle. "So. Introduce us, mate."

Goyle flushes at being called 'mate' and reaches behind himself, pulling the witch out from her hiding spot. "My sister, Gloria." He nods his head downwards to point to a short, slim witch with caramel colored hair fidgeting with the clasp on her casual robes. It isn't hard to see the resemblance between the siblings and Harry is surprised the familiar features looked quite nice on the smaller witch.

Luna quickly envelops the new visitor in a hug, startling the witch. "Hi, Gloria! I'm Luna!" she releases her hold slightly and points to Harry, "He's Harry." She drags the witch further into the room and points to the two quietly observing vampires.

"That's Emmett." He winks cheekily and mimes a gun at the small group in greeting. Emmett looks the large wizard over and nods approvingly. The guy looks solid enough to maybe get a good wrestle in once he stops looking like he's expecting a hex in the ass.

"That's Jasper." The blonde vampire inclines his head with a small smile and goes back to his book.

"Oh, poo. Everyone else isn't here." Luna pouts slightly. She's going to have to be extra sweet to be able to talk Hermione into letting Gloria bunk with them, but it'll be worth it. She had told Gregory weeks ago to bring his sister when he finally found her and she's so happy it had happened; he deserves happiness.

"Luna," Harry says with a laugh. When the blonde witch looks at him, he smiles and pats the air. "Relax." He looks to Goyle with a raised eyebrow. "I had no idea you had a sister," he says, his gaze dipping down occasionally to the small child sleeping on the bigger man's shoulder. Questions want to pop out of his mouth, but he stifles them and lets Goyle go at his own pace.

Goyle nods. "Yeah, father sent her off when she was little. Squib," he explains with an embarrassed smile.

Harry nods sadly in understanding; plenty of pure blooded families hid their children (or worse) when it was discovered they were a squib. He hated the practice but it wasn't the first time he'd come across it.

Goyle doesn't care Gloria is a squib, slightly thankful for it, actually; it had kept her safe during all the upset in the wizarding world. He had been outraged to learn of an unknown sister, though. Squib or not, he found her as soon as he could and embraced her fully, much to her shock and surprise. Her adoptive family are Muggle and she is slowly getting used to the wizarding world.

When Harry looks at Gloria, her eyes go wide and she ducks her head. "I'm sorry," she murmurs. She has heard about Harry Potter from her brother and many of the other wizards and witches she's met. Everyone spoke about him with awe or barely hidden worship in their voices. She tried to talk Greg out of bringing her but he wouldn't listen and now… She's standing in Harry Potter's house, uninvited and feeling the nearly overwhelming urge to pee. It's quite mortifying!

Harry blinks, confused. "What for?"

"I don't know," Gloria whispers. "I don't even know you. And I'm a squib."

Goyle grabs his sister gently and turns her around to face him before Harry can respond. "I told you, he's Harry Potter, Glor. He doesn't care about stuff like that." He looks to Harry and his whole body relaxes with relief when the dark haired wizard nods emphatically in agreement. He looks at Harry, "I'm sorry I didn't mention it when I responded, but I didn't know if she was able to join me or not."

"It's really quite alright," Harry says warmly. "All friends start as strangers," he adds hopefully. He smiles softly when Gloria looks at him with wide eyes. He raises a hand and waits for her to take it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Gloria spares her brother an awed look before reaching out and taking Harry's hand. "Oh my goodness," she whispers. "I can't believe it." She shakes the hand in hers vigorously, blushing when Harry chuckles. The few wizards and witches she's met since finding her brother weren't nice to her at all when they find out she is a squib. Most looked at her like she's no better than a wild animal in dress robes. She has heard enough about Harry from her brother to be in awe of the young wizard even before meeting him.

She looks around the large room and her eyes go wide. "Oh my goodness!" she repeats and claps a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I just didn't expect such a… normal home." Having grown up with muggles for as long as she can remember, she spots familiar items and the lack of house elves running about. (She had nearly wet herself when she first saw one her first visit to her brother's; the short bug-eyed creature had taken her bags without a word after popping out of nowhere right in front of her.)

The large home is also warm and homely, not at all a massive mansion she was expecting. It had her liking Harry that much more that he doesn't live like some arrogant snob; especially when he very easily could have. Just like her brother had said, Harry is gracious and rather shy. Oh, if he wasn't marrying soon, she'd probably allow a small crush to bloom.

"Thank you," Harry says, almost making it a question, and chuckles again. "I like it. I grew up around muggles, so," he says with a shrug, nodding at Gloria's shocked look. Apparently Goyle didn't tell her about that. "Please, make yourself at home here. Alright?" Gloria nods, still wide eyed, at him before being drawn away by a giddy Luna. "So," he says, again focused on the slowly waking child in Goyle's grip. "Who's this then?"

Goyle shifts nervously, looking away. "This is Natalie." He looks down at the little girl lovingly and adjusts her knit cap with a finger.

"I see." Harry raises an eyebrow and looks the child over. She's slightly more aware now as she appears to be awake, he can make out dark blonde curls peeking out from a small white and pink knit cap and slightly sleepy blue eyes blink down at him. "Hello Natalie," he says quietly with a soft smile. She doesn't look much older than Teddy and Harry hopes the two will get along. When Natalie smiles back, Luna 'awww's.

He takes her small, slightly pudgy hand, and shakes it gently. "I'm Harry." He's greeted with a small smile and a quiet "hullo" from the little girl.

Goyle looks down and smiles, gaze flicking around the room nervously. He wishes Draco or Blaise were here, but he can't keep it in any longer. "Natalie, this is Harry Potter. Harry, my daughter Natalie."

As expected, Harry and Luna gape at him, making Goyle again wish for Draco or Blaise.


	14. Chapter 14

Thankfully the quiet in the room doesn't last long; Luna is the first to break the moment with clapping and a joyful giggle.

"Oh, Gregory!" Luna gushes, running over and carefully pries the little girl from Goyle's grip. He stands tense for a moment waiting for his daughter to protest but Natalie happily goes into the blonde witch's embrace with a soft giggle. Goyle nearly rolls his eyes; _of course_ she'd adore Luna. "She's so beautiful!" Luna happily chirps with a smile up at her friend.

Natalie giggles again, making the TV blip on and off. Goyle sends a worried glance at Harry, his eyes darting to the two vampires still sitting on the sofa. When Harry just nods with a small smile, his shoulders relax again. Really, he should have realized the vampires would know about magic if they're sitting so relaxed and comfortable in Harry's house.

"Thanks Luna," he says quietly, watching his daughter play with Luna's long blonde hair. Her chubby fingers are buried in the pale strands and he winces when he sees them curl tightly, obviously pulling on them. Luna doesn't even blink, she just beams a smile at Natalie and makes a soft sound as she gently uncurls Nat's fingers.

"I couldn't leave her behind, so…" he trails off, shifting uncomfortably. "I should have said."

Harry waves a hand dismissively, finally over his shock. "It's really not a problem, Greg. I'm sure Natalie and Teddy will get along. Does… er, does anyone else know about her?" Harry asks carefully. He hadn't any idea Goyle had a sister or a daughter and he wonders if Draco knew. He's sure Draco would have mentioned it and he's very sure he would have remembered if he had.

"No," Goyle says quietly, gaze wandering to look over Harry's shoulder instead of his eyes. "I haven't spoken much to anyone after… Well, in awhile." He swallows thickly, not wanting to mention the war, especially in front of strangers. At Harry's sad but understanding smile, he finds himself relaxing again.

Merlin, he's not been this nervous in a long time.

"There were owls, but I was pretty much just keeping my head down in Russia for awhile." He sends a fond look at Luna, now sitting on the sofa introducing his daughter to the two vampires sitting down. The large one, while scary at first glance, is making faces at his daughter and gently poking her in the tummy. More giggles brings a soft smile to his face.

He looks back at Harry, making himself look into the warm green gaze. "I was real glad to hear about your engagement. Draco's too. Surprised, but glad." He really doesn't want to start blubbering all over Harry, telling him how much he deserves the chance at happiness, even though he knows the wizard wouldn't be surprised at all should he start. Harry has, unfortunately, seen him in such a state before.

Harry rubs the back of his neck sheepishly but smiles warmly. "Yeah, it was rather sudden, all things considered. So, and feel free to tell me to bugger off since it's none of my business, but where's her mum?" he asks with a quick glance at Natalie.

The little girl is happily perched on Emmett's shoulders, her chubby fingers buried in the vampire's short curls for balance. Jasper, surprisingly, had a steadying hand on the little girl's back with a small smile on his pale face. Harry stares for a moment, he hadn't seen Jasper willingly touch a human the entire time they've known each other.

"I don't know," Goyle says with a small shrug. At Harry's confused expression, he sighs and rubs his ear. He hates explaining but he knows he won't keep the truth from Harry or anyone else that asks. "I'm well aware of who she is." He doesn't feel the need to explain he'd only ever slept with one person, so it was easy to know; it's embarrassing as hell to admit. "I got an owl one morning telling me to check my car. And there was Nat, left on the back seat."

His hands curl up tightly in remembered anger. He had nearly broken all the windows with a sudden lash of wild magic in his anger when he saw the delicate newborn abandoned in the back of an unlocked car. He flinches when he sees the angry look on Harry's face, calming a little when he realizes it's not directed at him; he had nearly forgotten how intimidating Harry could be.

"I know," he says quietly and pats Harry awkwardly on the shoulder. "I did a paternity spell to make sure she was mine, legally removing maternal rights and, well." He shrugs, an adoring look on his face when he glances over at his daughter again, "That's that. Finding Gloria was the second happiest day of my life."

Harry smiles up at the larger wizard, shaking his head slightly. "I never would have guessed… Well, I'm sorry for how it happened but I'm really glad you've got your family, Greg." He breathes sharply through his nose, dispelling the last of his anger at the thought of an innocent baby left in a car and grins up at Greg. "So, I take it this is all going to be surprising news to Draco and Blaise, yeah?"

"Yeah. And Pansy," Goyle adds, flushing lightly, rubbing at his ear again. Harry can't help grinning at the nervous gesture. "I just thought it wasn't something you should say in an owl, you know?" Harry nods, understanding. "Do you… do you think they'll be alright with it?" he asks quietly, shifting on his feet.

Harry laughs, unable to hold it in. "Sure, why wouldn't they?" At Goyle's continuing uncomfortable expression, Harry smiles and rests a hand on his arm. "You lot aren't teenagers anymore. Things change, people grow. Trust me, Natalie just found herself two doting uncles and a happy aunty," he says with a knowing smile.

He's seen both men around Teddy; neither are going to stand a chance around the bubbly little girl. And Pansy, well she's slowly getting used to being around small children and he's sure the chance to spoil a little girl won't be wasted.

"And Gloria is very welcome here as well. If she can handle the hectic crowd, she'll be just fine." Harry grins, nodding seriously.

Slowly, more people trickle into the main room and introductions are made. Hermione takes to the surprise of Goyle's daughter and sister with amazing calm. One look at the way Luna had her arm linked with Gloria's and she knows Luna would insist they share their room. She can probably manage without Luna a few nights if it meant making her happy.

She had long ago buried any ill feelings for Goyle, especially seeing the way he interacted with her Luna. It was very endearing to see the large man wrapped so easily around Luna's dexterous little fingers. She tried not to be surprised when they first spoke and had an intelligent conversation with him. Years of scowling and speaking mainly in grunts had completely fooled her and convinced her he wasn't anything but hired muscle. She still stares when he randomly whips out a small book of poetry to read when he's bored.

"Hi, Greg," Hermione says and lightly taps the man on the arm. He jumps and she pats his arm soothingly with a soft smile. "It's good to see you." She leans in and gives him a gentle hug. The poor man looks ready to fly through the ceiling at a moment's notice.

"Hi, Hermione," Goyle says with obvious relief. A small, slightly nervous smile appears on his face as he looks at Hermione. He had known about Luna's crush on her for years. He doesn't miss the way her eyes seek Luna out every so often, no matter where she is in the room. He also doesn't miss the completely besotted look on Hermione's face every time her eyes land on Luna, either. "Congratulations to you, too."

Hermione looks back, confused, until Greg's gaze pointedly darts to Luna and his smile grows. Oh. She feels her cheeks warm, wondering how he'd pieced it together so quickly. "Yes." She clears her throat softly and smooths her hair nervously. "It's new but I'm... well, I'm absolutely smitten."

"Really?" Goyle giggles, making Hermione gape up at him, and he pinches Hermione lightly on the cheek. "Just smitten?"

Hermione rubs her cheek and slowly shakes her head. "Did you— You just giggled!" she says and points at him with wide eyes. When Goyle just giggles again, she finds herself helpless to do anything but giggle back. "I can't believe I've heard such a thing."

She finally calms and wipes at her eyes. "No, not just smitten... but it's still new," she says again and shrugs one shoulder. It's way too early in the relationship to even think about being in love, let alone speak it aloud; she doesn't believe in the Muggle superstition of 'jinxes', but why risk it?

"I see," Goyle says with a soft smile. "I must do the dutiful friend thing now, please understand." Hermione nods when he pauses. "You hurt her, I hurt you."

Hermione blinks up at him a moment before snorting with amusement. Goyle could never beat her wand and the wizard refused to physically hit a woman; she has seen Pansy smack and punch him often enough. She'd have him wrapped like a Yule gift in seconds.

"I'd like to see that. But thank you for looking out for her." Her gaze wanders, finding Luna and a sad smile grows on her face. "There aren't nearly enough people looking out for her."

Goyle nods and twitches his shoulders, jerking himself out of the sad thoughts. "Well. Enough of that. I get the impression Harry was not kidding when he said there is a full house."

Hermione laughs and shakes her head. "No, he's not. You might want to take notes." She nods at Goyle's curious expression. "A very interesting lot, to boot."

Seth and Jake wander into the room next and Goyle finds himself completely gobsmacked. Usually he's the largest person in the room; now he's only the second with Jake coming in to a very close tie. Emmett, though very nice after watching him interact with his daughter, is larger than him and solid as a brick wall. Jake, while not as solid looking or as tall, looked like he could easily snap him in half if he were a mind to. Goyle makes a mental note to not get him in that mind set.

As Goyle warily observes the man, Jake's eyes narrow slightly as they sweep over him and he has to fight the urge to fidget. Jake is probably only an inch shorter, but he reminds him a lot of Harry when he feels an overwhelming sense of power wash over him when Jake comes over and shakes his hand, a small, rather polite, smile on his face.

He tries not to stare when Jake pulls Harry close to him by the waist, but it's hard. He doesn't care about Harry marrying a wizard but just the nearly blinding smile on his face is hard to ignore. He glances back to Jake and sees a similar smile on his face. It's better than any movie.

"Hi," Greg murmurs when Jake lets go of his hand. He's surprised there isn't the usual male posturing of trying to smash his fingers. He hates that.

"Hey," Jake says easily, pulling Harry closer, narrowing his eyes slightly at his fiancé when he feels Harry's hand slip into his back pocket to rest on his ass. Really, he doesn't mind but it's rather awkward to meet new people with the threat of a hard-on. "Welcome." He barely keeps himself from jumping slightly when Harry squeezes him playfully through the fabric.

Greg can only nod. "Thanks..." he trails off and tries not to stare at Harry again. He must have failed because he looks back up and flinches when he sees Jake scowling darkly at him. "I'm sorry," he mutters, worried he's already offended the other man somehow.

"Do you have a problem?" Jake asks, keeping his voice even with an effort. "I really don't care if you are a friend of Draco's, you can leave," he says in a quiet but dangerous tone, trying to ignore Harry's other hand petting and patting his chest in an effort to calm him down. He is not going to calm down; If this bastard is going to have a problem with his Harry, he'd like to know. Now.

"No! No, no," Goyle says waving his hands and shaking his head. "I'm just... overwhelmed," he quietly admits, stilling all his movements and hunching his shoulder slightly. He isn't used to feeling so overwhelmed so often.

Jake eyes the taller man. "With what?" he asks slowly, with obvious patience.

"Everything," Goyle breathes, looking around the room before returning to Jake. "I haven't really gone anywhere besides my own house or garden for... awhile. I'm still amazed Harry doesn't want to hex my arse into hamburger and I'm just— Overwhelmed at how great everyone is being so far."

Jake nods shortly. "But you're alright with Harry?" is all he wants to know. Let the guy work out his problems on his own time. "Shhh," he murmurs softly to Harry as he tightens the possessive grip on Harry's hip slightly, trying to still his fiancé's fidgeting and hush him when Harry makes to defend Goyle.

"Of course," Goyle says, surprise in his voice. "I'm just—" He pauses and realizes how Jake mistook his staring earlier. "I'm just really happy for him. Honestly. It's good to see him smile," he says and smiles at a shocked Harry even as he feels himself flush warmly.

Jake's eyes narrow dangerously. "I see." He looks Goyle over closely, his eyes hard and dark as he assesses the tall wizard. "You don't have a thing for Harry, do you?" His arm tightens on Harry's waist a little more. It's getting harder to read the looks the large wizard keeps sending Harry and he's becoming increasingly agitated. This wouldn't be the first time someone has made eyes at Harry, but it was a first that it was someone close enough to actually choke, if needed.

"No." Goyle laughs and shakes his head, "Not like that. Though, I think _everyone_ is a little in love with Harry," he admits with an embarrassed chuckle. "I just meant it as a friend, you know. I'm sure you know it's not the usual for him. The happiness and smiling, I mean," he explains quietly.

Jake's body relaxes, his shoulders smoothing, as he nods slowly. "I think I understand. I'd apologize for being an asshole, but." He shrugs with a smile and kisses Harry's temple making his fiancé roll his eyes but look up at him with fond exasperation. "I can't help it."

"No worries," Goyle says easily. "It's nice to see someone looking out for Harry for a change."

"Greg, did you want to show Natalie the pitch?" Harry asks, tilting his head towards the large French doors, hoping to change the subject. He's getting dangerously close to yelling at both men if they keep talking about him as if he isn't standing right there.

"Wow, erm," Goyle says, his eyes widening as he looks out the doors. He can just make out the manicured lawn and the bottoms of the spires. "She's never been on a broom before," he says quietly. "I've been meaning to get her a toy broom, but..."

Harry waves a hand. "I've got a few, if you'd like to show her." When Goyle nods, Harry grins. "Great. It's charmed, so it's safe. Teddy helped me get the wards right." He ignores Jake's snort and points a finger towards the backyard. "I haven't marked the property line yet, but the woods are quite nice for a walk as well."

A strange squeak draws everyone's attention to a gaping Seth and a furiously blushing Gloria. Harry starts laughing quietly, trying to muffle the sound with Jake's chest when he gets a look at Seth. "Uh oh," he intones.

He knows he should be surprised, but really... it's almost expected now.

Jasper glances up from Seth, looking around the room questioningly. "What's wrong with him?" he asks quietly. He's holding the pendent Draco had given him as tightly as he dared to. It's a strange stone, one he's never seen before; It's a deep blood red color and unnaturally smooth and round. It's charmed to completely dampen his ability to sense emotions.

He only has to hold it for a moment while murmuring a phrase to deactivate the artifact and he can use his senses again. It's incredible and he was embarrassingly overwhelmed with gratitude when presented with it a few days ago. He made a habit of canceling the magical rock's powers whenever they're expecting new people so he can get the first impression of someone. Old habits were hard to break.

He hadn't reactivated it after the large wizard had come through and he's regretting his lapse. Seth is highly... aroused (in every sense of the word) and it is starting to make him twitchy.

"What do you... feel?" Harry asks Jasper after a moment of looking at Seth when he realizes Jasper is being inundated with Seth's feelings. The expression on the poor vampire's face makes Harry want to laugh and clap him on the back. The dazed young werewolf is still gaping wide-eyed at Gloria and in danger of drooling soon. Seth is swaying slightly and Harry nudges Jake towards him, hoping his fiancé is quick enough to catch Seth should he actually fall.

"Euphoria mostly," Jasper finally answers, after carefully thinking of the right word. "Everything else is rather muddled and muted, but there's just... everything," he finishes, his hands waving gently, but helplessly, in the air.

When a trickle of lust blooms, he lets go of his magical rock with a grimace. He is already relaxing as his body is no longer being saturated with others' emotions. Gloria's shock and embarrassment were getting hard to handle as well. He no longer adjusts people's moods, unless asked to. It seems, especially with this group of people, they don't like even the smallest manipulation; even if it's helpful.

"Did he just...?" One pale eyebrow rises as Jasper looks at the knowing expressions on a few faces in the room.

Harry and Jake nod at the same time with similar amused expressions. "Yes."

"He did always say he wanted a hot witch," Harry muses. He glances at Goyle and winces slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean... well, what I meant... Erm, er... sorry, that was inappropriate." He feels like a letch for calling Gloria hot, because that's just ... well, wrong. Not that she isn't attractive, but she's Greg's sister and he's an engaged man. He's not sure how to even start to approach the 'witch' comment, since Gloria is a squib and he does not want to sound like a complete prat. "But Seth, you know, isn't always the most... eloquent."

Jake laughs and raises an eyebrow at Harry, "Yeah, he's so uneloquent, because _that_ whole thing was very well said, babe."

"Shut up," Harry mumbles, wondering if 'uneloquent' is even a word or not, poking Jake and focuses back on Seth. "He gonna be alright? He seems really out of it..."

Even through his concern, he can't help be amused. He's seen a different reaction from each of the pack members, except Leah, and all have been amusing. Seth's eyes are still wide and unfocused and his hands seem to twitch towards Gloria on occasion. For the most part, Seth looks like a puppet that's had its strings cut.

Seth blinks slow and lazy when Jake taps him on the cheek a few times. "Wha?"

"Hey, you alive?" Emmett leans over and gets in Seth's face. "You totally spazzed out there, man."

Seth's lips stretch in a wide smile, his eyes clearing slightly. "Oh yeah," he breathes and shyly looks over at Gloria, jumping in surprise. "Sorry, I hope I didn't scare you."

Gloria shakes her head slowly, her light brown eyes still wide. "A little," she admits softly. She had barely said hello when introduced to the strange young man when he just sort of... spazzed out, as Emmett said.

It's slightly embarrassing to have him looking at her like she's a precious jewel or something, as well. She's just not used to the rapt attention.

Seth steps forward and reaches out. "Oh, shi—crap! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just... uhm." He looks to Jake and gets a nod. "Want to see the yard?" he asks quietly instead, hoping she'll say yes. He doesn't want to talk about this with everyone listening. Especially her massive brother. God, he must have looked like a complete dork! He glances at the girl in front of him and it feels his heart skips a beat.

Oh man, he's finally imprinted and he got so lucky with a beautiful woman. He sees her robes and grins; a beautiful _witch_. Score! He's not sure how he represses the urge to dance around happily, but he manages. He won't forget to do it later, though, alone in his room. It's bubbling happily in his chest and he's _sure_ he'll explode if he tries to keep it in for too long.

"Alright," Gloria says shyly, her cheeks pinking when Seth whoops excitedly and grabs her arm lightly, lacing it through his. She sends her brother an awed look before returning her attention to the handsome young man holding her arm almost primly.

Seth bows at the waist. "This way, my darling," he says, using his best Draco-inspired tone. He ignores the many eyes on them as he leads Gloria outside, giddiness and overwhelming happiness making him feel like he's floating. He doesn't skip, not wanting to look like a complete tool, but he wants to.

"That was weird," Goyle says, his gaze firmly on his sister's retreating back. "Should I be worried?" He glances at Jake, figuring the young man is associated with him. They almost look like brothers.

Jake shakes his head with a smile. "No, not really. But you're in for a shock," he says with a grin.

"Huh?"

"Exactly." Jake nods once with mock seriousness. He laughs a moment later when Harry smacks him lightly. "What? You can't tell me this isn't fun?"

Harry frowns up at his fiancé, dropping his hands from Jake and standing back slightly. "No. Greg has no idea what's going on. Don't make fun." His frown deepens, his whole expression going darker and a little scary.

"Uh," Jake blinks, surprised. "I didn't mean to—" He cuts himself off when Harry pushes past him and stalks out of the room, towards the kitchen, a very tangible aura of anger surrounding him. He flinches when one of the upper windows somewhere in the house shatters and he hears cabinets being slammed. What the hell just happened?

Goyle gives Jake a long look, unsure if he should comment or not. He's not all that sure what just happened and he can tell Jake is lost as well. "I would give him a moment," he finally says, instead. He didn't think it was his place to comment otherwise. He's only seen the two interacting together for a short time and he really didn't get a sense of anything that would indicate Jake being anything other than a doting, loving partner. One small spat doesn't mean everything.

Jake, without looking away from the abandoned doorway, just sighs. "I know. I just have no idea what I said wrong." He finally looks over at Goyle and tries a smile. "That was your sister, right?" When Goyle nods, understanding what Jake is referring to, Jake sighs and runs a hand over his face. "I need to talk to Seth but I ask that you don't make any definite plans for the next week or so, okay?"

"Alright," Goyle says slowly. "I hadn't planned on anything other than going back home."

"Good." Jake sighs again and relaxes back into the sofa, trying to sort out what he said to make Harry so angry. He looks towards the kitchen and an angry blast of magic convinces him to stay put a little longer. He winces slightly when Draco and Joe rush into the room, an obviously amused Blaise following behind them.

"What the hell is going on with Potter?" Draco demands, getting up close to Jake and pointing a finger dangerously close to his face. He nearly smirks when he gets the impression Jake barely restrains the urge to bite it even through the chagrined expression.

Jake backs into the sofa a little. "I don't know," he says, valiantly trying to ignore the hard look on Draco's face. He's never been on the receiving end of such a look before and he's sure he doesn't like it. "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" he asks, trying not to sound petulant. He must have failed because an amused look crosses Draco's face mixing with the still present suspicious anger; the combination would probably make him laugh at any other time.

"Oh, I don't know," Draco says with feigned amused lightness. "It could be just a hunch. Or the way he's muttering about werewolves and thickheaded arseholes as he slams around mugs and _my_ kettle," he says wryly.

A deep chuckle draws his attention from Jake and his eyes widen as he realizes who's sitting across from the now pouting Jake. "Greg!" he says and launches himself at his friend, his anger at Jake temporarily forgotten. "When did you get here?"

Goyle blinks, surprised but pleased as he pats Draco's back awkwardly. "A few minutes ago," he finally manages. "I brought Gloria with me."

Draco leans back and looks around, his head swiveling rapidly. "Really? Where is she? I want to meet her!" he says, slapping at Goyle's shoulder happily. He had heard from Pansy about Goyle's sister, and while he was shocked at the news, he's excited to meet her. He grins at the surprised, but pleased look on Greg's face. Did Greg honestly think he'd care she's a squib?

"I think she's outside with Seth," Goyle answers, his breath coming in short pants since he is currently being squeezed tightly by an equally excited Blaise Zabini. "He had some sort of fit and needed some air."

Draco snorts and shares a look with Joe, confusing Goyle. The confusion grows when Jake nods wearily and sighs. "Wow. That _is_ unexpected. Well!" He claps and grins down at his friend, "Staying for a bit, then, yeah?"

Goyle nods before his eyes dart across the room. "Yeah, of course." He pauses and clears his throat, "I also brought Natalie."

Luna appears a moment later, as if by Apparation, right next to Goyle with a happily chattering Natalie perched on her hip. She waves her fingers at Draco, Blaise and Joe as she settles onto the small sofa next to Goyle. She shifts the little girl on her lap so she's facing the other men. She hums with amusment at the stunned expressions Draco and Blaise are wearing. Joe just waves and smiles at the little girl, earning a shy giggle.

"Mate," Draco breathes, understanding coming right away as he looks at Natalie. It's not hard at all to tell she's related to Goyle. He's known Greg since they were children; he finds himself looking at what he thought Greg might have looked like as an adorable little girl. He is only unsure what the relation is at the moment. Goyle hadn't mentioned a niece... "Hi there, Natalie," he says quietly, getting a small smile from the little girl. "I'm Draco."

Goyle looks between his friends, trying not to be cautious or shy. "My daughter," he clarifies, looking mostly at Draco and Blaise. He doesn't know who the tall bloke is behind Draco, but by the way the man is standing close to Draco with a hand resting lightly on his hip, Goyle assumes it's his fiancé. "Long story," he defends when he gets shocked yet disgruntled looks from Draco and Blaise.

"I'll say," Blaise murmurs quietly, bending over so he can poke his finger lightly in Natalie's side. A giggle from the little girl brings a smile to his face. "She's quite dazzling," he says softly, watching a pillow wiggle with Natalie's laughter.

He sits down near Luna and carefully holds his arms out. He smiles when Natalie hops onto his lap. "Hello little love," he smiles down her. "I'm Blaise," he says, stressing his name slightly and sending a playful glare at Joe for a second before his attention returns to the little girl on his lap. "How are you?"

Natalie giggles again, hiding her face shyly against Blaise's robes. "Good," she whispers. She's never met so many new, nice people at once before. It's a little scary but fun. Daddy gives her a reassuring smile when she peeks at him so she settles against the other wizard. He is very nice and smells like cake. "You smell like cake," she quietly informs him, giving him an exaggerated sniff.

"Do I?" Blaise chuckles softly, surprised but pleased the little girl isn't scared of him. Of course, his height isn't anywhere near Goyle's so maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Natalie nods, staring at him earnestly. "I guess I do," he admits. "I probably indulge in it too often."

Natalie giggles again and turns to look at the other people that have come in the room. A blonde haired man is looking at her kindly and she grins up at him. "I like your pretty hair," she tells him.

Her eyes go wide when the large man behind the blonde laughs loudly with a happy nod as he runs a big, tan hand through the pale blonde strands. He is nice too and almost as big as daddy. And he's different. "You're different," she informs Joe in a whisper, her small brows scrunched together in confusion. Lots of the new people here are different. Her daddy said they were visiting Muggles (she still giggles at that word) but she doesn't think she's met one yet.

"I am," Joe nods, only slightly surprised. Teddy had known right away as well, but he had said it was because he smelled different. He doesn't know if it's something inherent with magical children or if he just has the extreme luck to meet the few gifted ones. "It's a secret though," he says with an exaggerated wink and a finger over his lips. As expected, Natalie giggles and mimics his actions.

Natalie nods, enjoying the fact they're sharing a secret. "Okay," she whispers loudly and tries to wink as well, but just scrunches both eyes closed instead of only one. "Daddy," she whispers, pulling on his sleeve. "I have to potty."

"Oh! Erm." Goyle looks around awkwardly, realizing he's not left the room the entire time they've been here and hasn't a clue where to send her.

Blaise stands, resituating Natalie on his hip. "I can show her. Do you need a hand, love?" he asks the little girl, hoping she'll say no but still resolute in his offer to help.

Natalie pulls a face and puts her hands on her hips. "I'm a big girl. I can do it my _self_ ," she declares, lifting her little nose slightly.

"Right then. Sorry," Blaise nods, holding back a chuckle. "This way, madam."

They watch Blaise walk out with a chattering Natalie, Draco turns to Goyle and smirks. "Explain," he instructs and flops onto the sofa next to the larger wizard. Joe settles in next to Draco. "Oh! How rude of me!" he flushes lightly and pats Joe's thigh affectionately while looking at Goyle. "Greg, this is Joe Riverstone. My fiancé. Joe." He looks at Joe, jerking his head towards Goyle, "Joe, this is Greg Goyle. We went to school together."

"Hi," Joe says as he leans forward slightly, pressing against Draco's side as he extends a hand towards Goyle. He shakes the other man's hand, pumping it twice politely. "Nice to meet you."

Goyle shakes the offered hand, only slightly surprised he's not drawn into another manly show of squeezing. "Same." He eyes Draco warily from the corner of his eye and huffs when he's given a pointed look, very aware his friend won't give up until he's spilled his guts.

He tells the same story he had told Harry earlier, including the mother's name this time since he knew Draco won't let it go as easily as Harry had, and waits for the reaction. He keeps his hands firmly clasped in his lap so he won't rub his ears raw.

"That's... well, that's bloody terrible," Draco finally says. "I'm glad you're there for her now though." He wraps a hand around Joe's, relaxing the tense fingers with his own. He's not at all surprised to feel Joe practically vibrating with anger. He is rather pissed as well; imagine leaving a defenseless baby in a car. He's painfully reminded of Harry and groans as his eyes close for a moment. "You didn't tell Harry that did you?"

Goyle flushes slightly with guilt as he nods slowly, his hand sneaking up and rubbing at his ear. "He asked," he says defensively when Draco glares at him.

"Alright," Jake says and leans forward, his dark eyes intent as they flick between the two wizards. "What have I missed?" He knows it's about Harry's past and his chest tightens painfully at the implications. He mentally berates himself for not pinning Harry down with questions before; he didn't because he didn't want to force the issue before Harry was ready. And he didn't like seeing the way Harry retreated into himself when he thought about it. He hates there are large gaps about Harry that he doesn't know. He wants to punch something with jealous frustration that these wizards know and he doesn't.

Draco huffs and closes his eyes again as he massages his temples. "Harry— No, you know what? You ask Harry. I'm not talking about that," he answers firmly, ignoring Jake's glower. "Glare all you want, I won't. It's his business. He'll tell you, so stop glaring at me." He lifts his chin defiantly and sags slightly with relief when Jake finally nods, albeit with reluctant sadness, and settles back.

He turns back to Goyle, "Anyway, she's adorable, Greg. Why did you not say something before? Are you managing alright?"

Goyle blinks, surprised at the sudden attention and onslaught of questions. "I haven't told anyone, really. We keep to ourselves, so it hasn't really come up. We manage fine," he answers carefully.

"Honestly, Greg," Draco huffs. "You could barely afford to keep your house after everything. How—" He pauses and narrows his eyes at his friend. "She's nearly four."

"Yes?"

"You've hidden her for nearly four years," Draco says flatly, trying not to feel offended. He's just as guilty for not keeping in touch better, but still... Goyle keeping something this big to himself is unthinkable. They've spoken enough times over the past few years, _something_ could have been mentioned. How hard is it to say 'oh, by the way, I have a daughter' at any point in their correspondence?

"Yes."

"Is there a good explanation for that?"

Goyle tries not to squirm. He rubs at his ear, instead. "Not really," he admits, sounding reluctant. "Look, at the time I wasn't really close with anyone anymore." At Draco's guilty expression, he places a hand on the blonde's arm. "You had your own problems. Anyway, we've managed," he says with a slight shrug. "I had an elf or two to help and I've Gloria now, too, so we're doing fine. Trust me, she doesn't want for anything." He's made sure of it; even if he has to go without, his daughter gets whatever she needs.

"Greg," Draco says sadly as he shakes his head. "Well, you're all here now, so we'll just go from here, yeah?" He glances up and notices Harry slink back in the room. "Alright there, Harry?" he asks, trying to keep his tone light.

Harry looks over at the group and scowls. "Yes," he says shortly, straitening his shoulders and sits down next to Emmett across the room.

Jasper looks at Harry and then back at Jake, a frankly grateful expression briefly crosses his face. He's quite happy he's not able to feel what's going on, not that it takes an empath to understand Harry is upset with Jake. Jasper's eyebrow twitches in interest; he's never seen the pair argue or have any sort of discord before. He's not sure what to make of it.

"Well, you might want to wait a little longer," Draco says dryly to Jake. Jake nods, his sad gaze on Harry sitting across the room as he pointedly ignores Jake. "So, what's all this about Seth?" he asks with a smirk.

Goyle only shrugs, while Jake sighs. "I think he imprinted. On Gloria."

Draco nods, his gaze on Goyle as he watches his friend for any reaction. Just confusion and interest. "I got that. Is it certain?"

"I don't know yet. But from how Seth reacted, I'd say it a good—" He stops, watching Leah walk in the room with Neville. Leo is only just able to still perch on her shoulder since he's grown quite a bit. His eyes widen slightly when he notices Leah's hand clasped in Neville's. He smiles at the expression of surprised wonder on the wizards face.

Draco's gaze follows where Jake is looking and he smiles. "Finally," he breathes with relief and settles against Joe, snuggling in as he lifts Joe's arm to settle against his side, leaning his head against Joe's arm. It was getting annoying dealing with those two tiptoeing around each other.

"Finally?" Jake and Joe ask at the same time as they both look at Leah and Neville, now sitting next to Harry. Jake flushes and hunches his shoulders back into the sofa when they both look from Harry and send identical glares at him. Shit. He wants to glare back, but restrains the urge.

He does spare a bit of disgruntled annoyance that he can't hear what they're talking about. Damn wizards and their magic silencing thingies.

Draco rolls his eyes at the two men; they are so oblivious sometimes."Well, I figured out awhile ago Leah had a thing for Neville. So, we ganged up on her and made her talk about it," he chuckles at the memory. "I guess Neville found his bollocks and finally talked to her."

He looks back over to where Neville and Leah are sitting close together, looking quite happy if still a little awkward. Leo is stretched out across both their laps, his happy purrs audible even across the room. He smirks at the dopey looks on both of their faces.

"Completely barmy for each other."

"Well, that figures," Jake says and snorts a laugh. "Neville is probably the only guy that I've met that can handle her." He had been secretly pleased when Sam imprinted on Emily; he wasn't the right guy for Leah, no matter how much she thought herself in love with the bastard. He's only sorry for the pain it had caused Leah.

Draco laughs with a nod. "That's how that imprinting business works, right? Finding the perfect match and all that." His eyes widen when he realizes Goyle has been sitting there the entire time, listening intently. His gaze slides over and finds the tall wizard looking on with rapt, curious interest.

"I think I need more information on this," Goyle says quietly. He's already figured something serious is going on with Seth and his sister but he doesn't know _how_ serious. He wants to grin at Draco; it was never a secret to him that he's intelligent and by the _Oh shit_ look on Draco's face, he's let something slip he probably shouldn't have. He ponders the previous words carefully, waiting for someone to speak and give him more information.

"Well," Draco says slowly, leaning into Joe more, unconsciously seeking comfort and maybe protection. "Joe imprinted on me. Jake—" He waves a hand towards the man in question, not looking to see if his reaction, "imprinted on Harry."

Goyle nods slowly. "Hence the bonding ceremony. Alright, so does that mean Seth is—what, bonded to Gloria now?"

Jake shrugs. "It's hard to explain, but sorta. We're not... magical. Not like you guys," he admits. "Harry said it was like Animagi?" At Goyle's surprised but understanding nod he continues. "Well..." He explains the imprinting to Goyle, pleased the guy is smarter than he looks and he doesn't have to repeat anything. As he explains, there is no longer surprise on the wizard's face and he has to wonder if Goyle has already figured some things out from Draco's earlier comments.

"So, it's all up to them how they want the relationship to go, but Seth can't really be away from her. Especially at first," he says with an apologetic look. He doesn't know what kind of repercussions would occur; no one's had to be away from their imprint before. He nearly shudders at the thought.

"Alright," Goyle agrees. "I have no idea... This is so weird." He raises his voice slightly, keeping his tone joking as she shakes a fist playfully, "Damn you, Potter!"

Harry's eyes narrow and he comes over, standing in front of Goyle looking stiff and unsure. It isn't hard to tell Goyle was kidding around but Harry feels like biting his nails anyway. "What?"

"I said, 'Damn you, Potter'," Goyle repeats playfully. "You lot have ensnared my baby sister."

Harry blinks for a moment. "Oh! Seth! Right. Well. I'm sorry," he says softly and leaves the room before anyone can stop him or say anything.

"What the fuck?" Jake muses aloud, ignoring Draco's snort. "Do you have like a shield or something you can put on me?" he asks Draco. He doesn't think he was the only one to notice Harry's suspiciously bright eyes, but by the not-so-upset expressions on everyone else's face, he might have been. He wants to curse at and hit something again.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I gotta go talk to him but I really don't want anything hexed off," Jake says seriously. He nearly expects Draco or Joe to say Harry wouldn't do that but there are only smirks and smiles. He waits and sighs with relief when Draco takes out his wand, waving it in an intricate pattern. "Thanks," he says, giving Joe an amused grin when his friend shifts in his seat, obviously affected by Draco's small burst of magic. If it wasn't for Joe's reaction, he would have thought Draco just waved his wand around to placate him. He doesn't feel any different.

As Jake hurries from the room, Draco smirks, looking slightly evil. "He'll need more than a Protego."

"What? Why?" Joe asks, his voice still thick with arousal.

Draco rolls his lips and licks them from inside. "I do believe he's in for a shock, but ... Well, if I'm wrong, we'll just pretend I didn't say anything, alright, love?" he says, patting Joe's knee and settling himself back against Joe.

Joe just nods blankly, still lost while Goyle looks at his friend with amusement.

"I hope you don't take this wrong, Draco, but you've changed quite a bit," Goyle says quietly.

He's been watching his friend smile, laugh and openly show affection to his intended as well as everyone else. He's not really surprised Natalie took to everyone so easily even though she hasn't been around many strangers; they're all content and just... exude a very welcoming feeling.

Draco smiles and pats Joe's thigh with affection, rubbing slowly when Joe twitches. "I know, but like I told Pansy, I'm pleased with the change."

Goyle nods emphatically. "Oh, it's a good thing. Speaking of Pansy, where is she?"

"Shopping, if you can imagine." Draco rolls his eyes playfully. "The only surprising part is who she's shopping _with_." Goyle just waits and he sighs. Goyle always ruined a good dramatic moment with his endless patience. "Vampires and Jake's dad."

Goyle's eyebrows rise. "Alright, that does sound surprising. Is Pansy aware...?"

"Sort of," Draco says and wiggles his hand in the air. "She knows about the vampires. They've helped planned our wedding." He smiles and he looks to the two vampires sitting with Leah, Neville and Luna. "Their mates," he clarifies. "Very friendly lot, as you can see." Both vampires wave cheekily, having heard Draco. "I'm mostly surprised she got Billy out shopping."

Well, not really. No matter how devoted Billy is to Sue, the man is a shameless flirt and never wasted an opportunity. The only difference Draco noticed is the man keeps his hands to himself and his gaze above the neckline now, which was very admirable and probably the only reason Sue didn't smack him about more often.

"She doesn't know about the werewolf aspect, and I'd rather keep it that way for awhile yet."

Goyle just makes a thoughtful noise and waits for Blaise to return with his daughter.

~oOo~

Seth thinks as he walks around the yard with Gloria. He's not all affected by the near-Autumn coolness in the air but he keeps close to Gloria when he feels her shiver delicately the few times he tried to give her some space. He really should have grabbed a jacket for her. He only absently notices the soft crunching of leaves under their feet as they walk, most of his attention taken up with noticing small details about the young woman walking next to him.

Her arm is still linked with his and his whole body is tingling pleasantly from the small contact. It's still making his head spin to realize he's walking with his _imprint_. He was seriously starting to stress he wouldn't even find his; he had met everyone in town and had no plans to travel.

He sighs softly with happiness and relief, hoping Gloria can't hear it. He doesn't feel magic tingling over him from Gloria and he makes a mental note to ask her about it. Jake and Joe have both said, numerous times, that they could feel it coming off of their wizards.

He's not looking forward to spontaneous boners but he's willing to accept the good with the bad.

Seth glances over at Gloria, shamelessly looking her over. He doesn't think her being his imprint is what makes her so beautiful, but it probably does explain the slight glow around her head and shoulders. Her hair is a soft caramel color that looks soft and bouncy; he wonders how soon he can run his fingers through it. Her skin is so pale and smooth, like peaches and cream, he wants to touch it. He likes her nose too and he nearly rolls his eyes at the thought; who likes a person's nose?

He smiles when Gloria shyly looks at him from the corner of her eye. He watches intently as a pink blush spreads across her cheeks and he has to control himself from feeling the heated skin with his hand or his lips.

He clears his throat and gently pulls on her arm so she'll stop walking. "So, you're probably wondering what's going on?" he finally says, trying not to stare too hard into her eyes. They are the warm brown of cinnamon. A sudden craving for cinnamon rolls has his stomach gurgling quietly and he nearly laughs. How embarrassing.

He laughs quietly at himself as he realizes he's used food for nearly every internal compliment. No wonder he made himself hungry.

"Yes," Gloria murmurs quietly. She's still trying to get a handle on being at Harry Potter's house and the knowledge that a very attractive American boy is practically drooling over her. It's making her head feel heavy and light at the same time. A very strange feeling.

"I'm a bit lost," she confesses, her cheeks heating again. She hasn't blushed so much before in her life!

Seth swallows thickly, averting his eyes to avoid temptation. "Yeah, there's a lot. I think we should sit down," he says and waits for her to conjure chairs or a blanket like Harry or Draco would. When she only looks at him and sits right on the grass, he shrugs and plops down in front of her, crossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees.

"Can't you do magic?" he blurts out.

Gloria flushes darkly and lowers her eyes. "No, I'm a squib." She looks up and her eyes widen at his confused expression, fearing she's offended or disappointed him but realizes he only has no idea what she's talking about. "It's a wizarding word for people who are of magical ancestry but can't do magic," she explains softly. "I don't even have a wand."

She shrugs, trying to be carefree about it. Gregory had offered to take her to pick one, and after weeks of pestering, she finally relented. They had entered a wand shop only to have the wand maker declare she didn't have enough magic to be matched with a wand. She honestly didn't regret it; that Gregory would even offer meant a lot to her.

"Oh! Oh sh—crap!" Seth corrects hastily with a small wince. He's got to control his language better; he's nearly cussed in front of Gloria twice now. "I'm sorry. I don't care though. I was just curious," he says quickly seeing her discomfort. "Really," he nods when she gives him a painfully unconvinced look. "I honestly don't care about that. I'm not a wizard, so it's all good," he says with a grin, winking. "Obviously I know about all that stuff," he adds and nearly slaps himself. Of course she knows he knows. He's surrounded by wizards. He mentally groans and takes a deep breath.

"I hope you're open-minded," he says with no humor in his voice. "Because what I have to tell you could be rather freaky." He waits for Gloria to nod, even if it's with more uncertainty than he'd like. He spends the next few moments explaining, as best he can, about what he is and what an imprint is. He gives a short mention of his pack, along with their respective mates. He grins when she relaxes at the mention of Harry.

"Oh my..." Gloria breathes, stunned. "I can't believe this."

Seth just nods, chewing his bottom lip. He doesn't know what's going through Gloria's head at the moment and it's making him nervous. "Are you okay with all of this?" he finally asks after she just sits and stares at him for long moments.

He doesn't know if her blank expression is a careful mask or if she's just that shocked.

"Yes," Gloria finally answers, her cheeks pinking again. "I mean, it's... Well, a surprise." She shakes her head slightly, watching as Seth's eyes track the curls as they bounce. "It's just not something I would have ever expected to happen to someone like me."

Seth's face hardens as he frowns, a completely alien expression on his face. "I don't know what to say to that." He doesn't like that she thinks of herself in any sort of negative way but he doesn't know how to say that without sounding like a controlling asshole.

Gloria gasps and scootches forward, placing a hand on Seth's knee in an effort to explain. She blinks as his whole body twitches towards her. "I'm sorry," she whispers and starts to remove her hand only to be stopped by Seth's hand settling gently on top of hers. She jumps slightly as she feels the large, very warm hand cover hers. She blushes again when she wonders what those hot-warm hands would feel like on different parts of her body.

"It's really okay," Seth assures once he's got his breath back. "You just... affect me. In a very good way," he says with a smile when she goes to move again. "Look, please don't take this wrong, but I didn't like hearing you say that about yourself. You know, the 'someone like me' thing," he explains when she only looks at him. "I don't care what other people think, you're... well, I'm a bit biased. You're wonderful. Beautiful. Perfect."

Gloria flushes violently this time, making Seth grin wickedly. "You are biased," she admits quietly, the shock of knowing he really thought such things about her returning. It feels rather weird to have a near stranger looking at her so earnestly, but Seth faces is so open and honest she can't help but believe him. He doesn't look capable of lying, even if he tried.

"You don't know what it's like where I came from... but... thank you." Not for the first time, she feels a bittersweet happiness she wasn't raised in the Wizarding world. She would have loved to have known her family but grateful she grew up with Muggles that didn't care about magical ability.

"You're welcome," Seth says earnestly. It's true, but he has good manners and can't leave a 'thank you' unanswered, even if it's completely silly. "I think it's dumb to think someone is less of a person just because they can't do magic." He pauses and nibbles his top lip thoughtfully. "Though, I'm guessing that's kinda normal if what Harry has said is anything to go by."

Gloria nods slowly. "I don't know a lot about it, I was raised by Muggles. But I've heard a little about it from Gregory. There was a war about it," she ends in a near whisper.

Seth's eyebrows shoot up his forehead. Harry's never said _that_ but he guesses the vague hints sound enough like they were about something really horrible like a war. "About squibs?" he asks, fighting the urge to giggle or snicker over the weird word.

"No, not really." Gloria shakes her head. "Between magical people about non-magical people, basically. There was... well, I honestly don't know a lot about it. Doesn't Harry speak about it?" As soon as the question is out, Gloria knows the answer and she nearly smacks herself for being so stupid. Of course Harry doesn't talk about it; she wouldn't either.

"Nope," Seth says easily. "I don't think he wants to. I'm not going to ask about it, anyway. It'll probably upset him and then Jake will kick my a—butt." He smiles when Gloria's eyes widen slightly. "Yeah, see that's what the whole imprint thing is about. I don't think Jake even realizes he goes all Alpha on us when it comes to Harry. He rarely does otherwise. So, back to what I was saying before— I'm amazing so therefore, you are too. Since you're my imprint. Capisce?" he says in a horrible Italian accent with his fingers pinched together as he shakes them at her.

Gloria giggles, despite herself. "I suppose that's one way to look at it. I'm sorry, but I just... I've had some very negative reactions from people when they find out I'm a squib."

"Your brother?" Seth asks, his voice tight.

He's not sure if he can handle an asshole for a brother-in-law. He really hadn't gotten that impression, but then again he had spent maybe 10 seconds with the guy before his focus went to Gloria and he dorked out on her. He shifts so they're sitting next to each other, the urge to have as much contact with her seeming less creepy that way. He'd rather pull her into his arms, but subtly pressing his side against hers seems a good start. He sighs with relief when she doesn't even flinch.

Gloria's eyes widen as she shakes her head vigorously. "No, not at all! Gregory's been wonderful. He had nearly hospitalized the first person that gave me a nasty look when they found out I was a squib." She smiles shyly.

"Did that bother you? Your brother going all caveman on someone?" Seth asks, curious. "I have to say I'd do the same," he says quietly, uncharacteristic shyness making him look away.

He doesn't think he'd be able to curb that kind of reaction; not only is he normally the kind of guy to defend his lady's honor, his wolf would demand it as well. He has learned—mostly from the other pack members trying and failing—it's nearly impossible to ignore the instincts of the wolf; it's dangerous at times to even try.

Gloria waves him off, blushing again. "No, it didn't bother me." She actually kind of liked it; not that someone got hurt but that someone would stick up for her. "I don't know what Gregory's other friends will think, but I already met Harry Potter and he was amazingly nice about it."

"Yeah," Seth agreed, feeling a tingle of jealousy at how Gloria's voice went slightly breathless when she said Harry's name. "He's really cool."

"I've heard a lot about him, so it's still like a dream that I've actually _met_ him," Gloria says, her eyes slightly wide. "Anyway, I grew up with Muggles, but I always knew I was adopted; they never hid that from me. They couldn't tell me about my real family because they didn't know anything about them. It wasn't until Gregory found me that I found out about magic and all that. I already knew I couldn't use magic but it was amazing to see all of it. I'm still sorry I can't use magic," she ends quietly, looking at Seth shyly.

"Honestly, it's cool," Seth assures her, slowly wrapping an arm around Gloria's shoulders. He smiles widely when she leans into him instead of away. "I don't care about that sort of thing. I mean, it would be cool but it's not at all disappointing. I'm rather relieved, honestly. Joe and Jake look ... constipated when Harry and Draco use magic around them."

Well, they look like they wanna jizz in their pants but he doesn't want to say that to Gloria. He grins; he really can't wait to see Leah's reaction to Neville's magic. Maybe she'll calm down a bit.

A giggle escapes Gloria and she covers her mouth with her hand. "Really? Well, as long as you're sure."

"One hundred percent," Seth nods once. "I repeat; you are perfect for me. There isn't anything about you that would disappoint me," he says seriously, looking at her intently so she won't have reason to doubt him. "You ever been on a date?" he blurts out, the strong urge to woo makes him groan softly. He is usually so much smoother with girls! Why is his imprint the one girl he completely dorks out in front of? So not fair...

Gloria's shoulders hunch slightly as she peeks at Seth through her lashes, slightly confused when his cheeks flush. "No," she admits. "I wasn't old enough when I was still with my adoptive parents. They wanted me to wait until I was seventeen."

Seth snorts a laugh, unable to help himself. "That is so not cool," he says, trying not to sound horrified. His mom didn't bother putting any such restrictions on him, probably only because he hadn't honestly wanted to date anyone yet. He likes flirting but hadn't found a girl he wanted to take out and do all that romantic shit with. He's torn between being happy he can have that first with Gloria now and horrified he's not had any practice. Bugger.

"I know!" Gloria says brightly. "I mean, it wasn't as if there were a line of boys asking but it was so embarrassing! And by the time I was staying with Gregory... well, people weren't interested." Thankfully they didn't venture out of the house often; she had grown withdrawn very quickly after the first few negative reactions to her 'non magical' status. It still amazes her how quickly word spreads in the Wizarding world; magical people are such gossips!

Seth makes a 'harrumph!' sound but squeezes her shoulders slightly. "Well, I'd say their loss but I'm ridiculously, insanely, jealously thrilled I get to take you on your first date," he informs her in his 'Draco-est' tone. When he sees her flush and hide her face again, he turns slightly and touches her face gently. A thrill goes through him when her cheeks pink and her lips part with surprise and pleasure. "Mine too, just so you know. It's a double first date."

Gloria giggles, relief and warmth spreading through her as she smiles up at Seth. Feeling brave she shifts so she's facing him better and blinks her eyelashes at him. "Are you asking me out then, Seth?" She wants to giggle when his face lights up and his eyes glaze over a little.

"Yeah!" Seth says emphatically, grabbing one of her hands impulsively. "Do you wanna?"

He nearly groans at the lame way he blurted it out. Gloria deserves wooing and finesse! Roses, champagne, chocolates and that classy music that they have in romantic movies. He doesn't even care he'll have to beg Jake to drive them around since he didn't have his license yet. So far, she hasn't turned him down or look horrified he wants to date her. So far, so good.

Gloria looks down slightly, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I'd love to," she says quietly, enjoying the way his hand covers her. Why is he so warm?

"It's a wolf thing," Seth answers absently. "Fast metabolism or something. Does it bother you?"

Gloria flushes when she realizes she'd spoken out loud. "Oh! No, it doesn't at all. It's quite nice," she admits quietly, turning his hand over in hers slowly to look at the lines on his palm. Her fingers trace the heart, fate and life lines before tracing up each long, slender tanned finger. "It's quite soothing." She chances a look up and quietly giggles at the dazed look on Seth's face. He's watching her intently and she wonders if he even heard her.

"I really like your giggle," Seth says, still feeling dazed. That strange warm tingling in his hand is going to make him crazy in the best way possible. "Do you read palms?" he asks, cocking his head slightly.

"No," Gloria says with a small shrug. She has a very basic knowledge that the lines could mean something but that's it. "I just... wanted to touch, that's all."

"You can always touch me," Seth breathes. He groans and slaps his forehead. "I'm sorry if that sounded pervy," he mumbles, horrified. He waits for a slap or even an annoyed look but Gloria just giggles softly and slides her hand up his forearm. He gapes, pleasantly surprised. "Well, if that'll work..." he says in a mock lusty voice, wiggling his eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion.

Gloria's giggles morph into full blown laughter. She had dared to extend her touch on Seth when she realized he had been mortified by his innocent words and she's glad she did. "Oh, you are going to be trouble," she says with a grin. "I'm going to have to tell my brother on you."

Seth's eyes widen and he places a hand over his heart. "Ouch. He's huge. You'd do that to me?" Gloria nods, giggling again. "Madam, you wound me and mock my virtue!"

Gloria's mouth drops open and she laughs loudly again, her hands resting on her belly. "Oh my!" She's only slightly surprised at how funny Seth is, but mostly it's the ease at which they're talking now. She's feeling much less awkward and shy. It's easy to see that Seth is usually very easy going and probably a bit of a flirt.

Seth grins at her, scooting closer in her moment of distraction. "I would totally turn into a wolf and bite him," he teases without thinking. His words replay in his head and he nearly expects her to draw away or get angry but he can't take back the words, even if he wants to. But he doesn't, not really.

"Oh no!" Gloria says, holding a hand dramatically to her forehead, playing along with a soft giggle. "Whatever would I do if he shall become wolf food?" she says stiltedly, as if reading lines badly. She giggles and slaps a hand on Seth's chest, making him blink. "Would you really?" she asks, absently circling her hand on his chest with soft strokes.

Seth bites his top lip, releasing it slowly. "I don't know, honestly. Normally, I'd give you a resounding no. However, when it comes to our imprint—" He shrugs and gives her a pointed look. "It's really, really hard to guess how I'd react. I'd like to think I'd never really hurt a person, especially a family member."

Gloria looks at him thoughtfully for a moment, a soft smile on her face. "I understand and... thanks, for being honest."

Seth grins at her. "Hey, I'll always be honest, even if it kills me." Gloria's beaming smile is a wonderful answer. It's even more wonderful that she hasn't stopped touching him. Seth really wants to pull her into his lap again but he doesn't want to bring her attention to the way she's touching him just yet.

~oOo~

"Harry!" Jake calls, rushing into the hallway after his retreating fiancé. He catches sight of a crazy mess of hair and picks up speed, catching Harry right as he makes to head up the stairs. He sends a silent thanks that Harry didn't do that popping away thing and carefully snags him about the waist. "Harry," he repeats and frowns at the stiff body in his arms. He tightens the arm around Harry, bringing Harry's back flush to his chest.

"What?"

"What's wrong, babe?" Jake asks quietly, nuzzling his nose into Harry's hair. It never fails to calm him and he's hoping it'll work now. He feels Harry relax a little and sigh heavily, bringing a small smile to his face.

Harry fidgets in Jake's hold a little. "I'm sorry," he mumbles and tries to wiggle out of Jake's grasp. He knows it's not going to work; if Jake wants to keep him here, he'd have to hex the man to loosen his hold and he isn't that worked up.

"Harry, love, I don't want you to be sorry," Jake says quietly, moving to sit on a step. He keeps Harry on his lap, not loosening his grip at all. He's pretty sure Harry will bolt the moment he feels any slack in his grip.

Harry wants to cross his arms or pout childishly. He doesn't. "Then why chase me out here?" he huffs, trying his hardest to ignore the soothing hand rubbing circles on his chest and the other one sliding up his arm and into his hair. Damn Jake; he knows exactly how to calm him down. He closes his eyes when Jake's hand finally slides into his hair, his fingers massaging and gentle. He stubbornly bites back the near purr he wants to make at the touch.

"I don't like it when you're upset," Jake murmurs against Harry's pale neck. He has to restrain himself from licking or nibbling the delicious pale skin. He's here to comfort and sooth, not turn on. Of course, if later Harry is turned on... well, he'd just have to help his Harry calm back down again. "And before you try to snap, you're allowed to be upset. I just don't like being the one that's done it. I'd like to avoid doing it in the future. So, what did I say that made me an asshole?"

Harry chuckles, against his will. "You weren't an arse, love. I overreacted." He sighs. "Look, there is a lot I haven't told you." Luckily he can't see Jake's slightly stunned expression; _a lot_? "And it's... well, painful and I absolutely hate to talk about it. A lot of it I wasn't allowed to tell you, but I did anyway since we were so close. Now, since we're bonding, I guess the rest..." he turns slightly and catches Jake's eye. "I will tell you. I promise. But after the bonding. That way you can't change your mind, and run off," he jokes lamely.

"Harry, I'd never leave," Jake says seriously, frowning at the feeling of true apprehension and fear under Harry's joking tone. "No matter what you tell me. We're in this together. Forever," he stresses, wrapping both arms around Harry and holding him tightly. "Even if we don't bond, we're already connected on a deep and lasting level."

Harry sighs, his eyes slipping closed. He knows that but it's so hard to keep his insecurities and personal nightmares at bay sometimes. "I know," he says quietly. "Anyway, one of the things that pisses me off is being uninformed. I know most people don't like not knowing something but I... well, it's nearly gotten me killed a time or two and I don't like being in the dark about something. I don't do it to other people if I can avoid it."

"Oh," Jake says quietly, trying to wrap his head around the knowledge that his Harry nearly died before. More than once. His hands are shaking a little when he slides one back into Harry's hair, mostly to sooth himself this time. "So, me teasing Goyle about not knowing about the imprinting... not funny," he finally says, trying to sound amused but still finding it hard to breathe.

Harry snorts, sounding slightly amused. "Nope, not funny. But, I overreacted," he says quietly. "I don't know why it bothered me so much." His eyes flutter closed when Jake's lips press against the back of his neck softly. "I'm sorry, I should have explained instead of stomping off."

"Maybe." Jake chuckles softly, moving his lips lazily. "But understandable. It was kind of a dick thing to do on my part. And really, I think the only casualty is the kettle and a mug or two."

Harry grins, resting his body against Jake fully. "Nah, magic makes it all better."

"Oh yeah," Jake says, going still with his surprise. "I don't know how I can sometimes forget that."

Harry chuckles. "I'm a wizard and I forget at times," he admits, sounding amused. "I think I'm just a little more keyed up with the bonding ceremony," he muses quietly.

"Why is that?" Jake asks, sliding a hand between them to smooth up Harry's back. A delighted shiver greets the action and he grins. He doesn't feel bad now that Harry is no longer upset. "You didn't seem worried before."

"I don't know," Harry shrugs. He really isn't nervous about it. He is completely ready to bond with Jake. He doesn't care about the robes he's wearing, the strange American bonding wizard or anything else. He can't pinpoint what is making him edgy and fidgety. "I'm not worried though, I can't wait to bond with you," he says softly, turning in Jake's lap so he's straddling him.

He buries his hands in Jake's dark hair and gently kisses him. "Please don't doubt that, I don't need my irrational insecurities rubbing off on you."

Jake chuckles, nipping Harry's bottom lip gently as he wraps his arms around Harry's waist. "Well good. Because in less than two days, we're bonding. Forever and ever," he informs Harry, sounding giddy and slightly breathless. "Wow," he breathes.

"I know," Harry says with a happy nod. "I also had to dodge Hermione earlier," he says, ending in a pout. "She keeps trying to get me to practice spells."

Jake raises an eyebrow at Harry. "So? You like learning new ones," he says, slightly distracted as he starts to palm Harry's ass. It's right there and he's not above taking advantage.

Harry's cheeks pink, drawing Jake's full attention. "I do, but these... are... well, embarrassing."

"How so?" Jake asks, amused but trying not to show it. He's pretty sure it won't take much to get Harry pissed at him again.

Harry groans and buries his face in Jake's neck. "I know it shouldn't be, but it's probably only because it's _'Mione_ that makes it so embarrassing," he mumbles against warm skin. "She's making me learn— Oh Merlin. I can't," he mumbles, shaking his head.

"C'mon, what?" Jake asks, rubbing a hand up and down Harry's back. He can't imagine what can be so horrible that Harry is blushing and can't even tell him. He stills, wondering if it's some sort of sex spell. That would make _him_ blush.

"Oh fine," Harry mutters and leans back. He arches an eyebrow, daring Jake to laugh. "Pregnancy spells."

Jake's eyebrows nearly disappear into his hair and his eyes widen. "What? Why? What do you mean?" He's really sure Harry said there weren't spells involved. Maybe a potion or something but no spells. His mind blanks completely on every piece of knowledge it previously held and he blinks, feeling more than a little panicky.

"Ha!" Harry laughs, bouncing on Jake's lap slightly. "Good, I'm not the only one making that face then," he says with a smirk. He's pretty sure Jake's panic is probably from thinking the spells are to get pregnant, not test for pregnancy. "Well, there's one that determines pregnancy, one that alerts the sex of the baby and another that acts like a muggle sonogram. There are lots more but most should only be done by a healer."

He pauses, tapping a finger on his cheek, "Matter of fact, I think that last one was complicated enough to be saved for a healer as well."

Jake shakes his head slightly, trying to clear it. "And have you practiced these? Is there a healer nearby?" he asks the last in a near panic. He has no clue if there are any magical doctors in the area and he's suddenly freaking out. Visions of horrible accidents flicker through his mind only making his panic spike.

Shit, how could he not have thought of it before? Harry hasn't exactly outgrown his tendency to find trouble.

"No and yes," Harry answers, briefly amused with Jake's panicky reaction. "Easy, love," he soothes and kisses Jake, running a hand through his hair and down to massage his neck. "I don't need a healer at the moment but if there is a magical community nearby, which there is, there are going to be healers. Relax," he says with a chuckle.

Jake takes a deep breath, nuzzling into Harry's hand. "Alright, I'm calm," he says, taking another deep breath. "I just realized that wasn't something I had thought about. I would have no idea what to do if something happened to you." He looks up, misery flashing in his dark eyes.

"Jake." Harry gently cups Jake's face. "I have basic medical training and potions for everything imaginable. Hermione as well. Draco is twice as knowledgeable as I am with healer things and four times better at potions, alright?"

Jake nods slowly, making a mental note to grill Draco on his knowledge later. As soon as possible, actually. He nearly slips out from under Harry to go find and interrogate the blonde.

"Alright," he quietly agrees instead. Thankfully, before he can panic any more he's lost in Harry's lips and hands and passionate kisses. The sharp sound of a throat being cleared has him slowly easing back from Harry, an annoyed glare automatically on his face. He drops the look to smile sheepishly as he turns to see Hermione smiling at them from the hallway.

Hermione grins at the two men and shrugs unapologetically. Her grin sharpens when Harry hunches his shoulders and leans into Jake as far as he can, as if trying to disappear. "Sorry boys," she says with a smile. "Harry," she says and turns her attention on him. "I've been looking for you."

Harry nods but doesn't move. "I know."

"Well?"

"Well what?" Harry says innocently.

Hermione crosses her arms and looks at Harry pointedly. "Well, let's practice," she says with forced patience and an eye roll. "And I was also wondering if you'd both agree to something..." she trails off, looking between Jake and Harry with a pleading look on her face.

"Depends," Jake says slowly, not sure what Hermione will ask for. He unconsciously tightens his hold on Harry as he waits for Hermione to answer.

Hermione pauses for a moment, trying to sort out her words. "Well, there's a Muggle wedding tradition. It's believed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding."

"'Mione, there isn't a bride," Harry says flatly but his eyes are practically sparkling with amusement.

Hermione glares at Harry, quite unamused. She hopes neither man thinks _she_ thinks that. "I know that, you wanker," she says, placing a fist on her hip. "I'm just saying, it's—"

"No, I know what you meant and no," Harry says biting his lip, unsure how to continue. He doesn't want to insult Hermione, but he knows he won't be able to go along with such an idea.

Jake shakes his head at Hermione, refusing as well. "I see what you're getting at but there's no way I'm spending the night away from Harry," he says and kisses the top of Harry's head. "I'd be a mess, I wouldn't get a wink of sleep."

Harry beams up at Jake, nodding as well. He rarely had trouble sleeping or nightmares when Jake is wrapped protectively around him. He doesn't want to spend the night before his bonding miserable and alone. "Thank you," he whispers to Jake, placing a soft kiss on his neck.

"Nothing to thank me for, babe," Jake says easily, rubbing his hands along Harry's back. He's noticed, more than once, Harry twitching and whimpering in his sleep the few times he wasn't there. He rarely awoke to Harry thrashing about with nightmares when he slept close, and Harry would generally calm with soothing words and touches. He vowed to not sleep away from him if he could ever help it. "I'm too used to having you sleeping next to me as well."

"Still, thanks," Harry says softly.

Hermione, having heard the exchange, places a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't think," she says miserably, biting her lip. How could she forget Harry still had nightmares? It only makes sense that Jake's presence would sooth him. "Forget I mentioned it, yeah?"

Harry smiles up at Hermione, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "No big deal, I know your heart was in the right place," he says. "I'm sure I don't need to say this, but don't recommend that to Draco." He grins.

"Oh, like I'm that stupid," Hermione giggles with an embarrassing snort. As understanding as Draco is, he's still rather a snob when it comes to Muggle things. Hermione is convinced it's because he can't understand them. "I would mention it to Joe if I thought he'd be interested, but I know he's more than happy to stick with what Draco wants. And will be as unwilling to spend a night without him."

Harry and Jake nod with matching grins.

"Hermione, do you have healer training?" Jake asks suddenly, his gaze sharp and intent on the witch.

"A little," she admits softly.

She has been trying to get Harry to sit still long enough to practice some of the pregnancy health related spells before they had to return the books to Malfoy Manor but he is being a childish little git. Apparently, he's spoken to Jake about it and it's obvious he's letting his worries and fears get the better of him.

"I know the basics, enough to stabilize someone long enough to get medical attention." Jake looks at her long and hard for several moments, making her want to fidget. Or run away. "I've got many medical books," she adds quickly. "I also know Muggle first aid, too." She glances at Harry quickly but thankfully his eyes and focus on entirely on Jake's neck and jaw.

"And Draco, he's well trained?" Jake asks her, ignoring Harry's indignant squawk. He's aware his fiancé is feeling slighted but he knows Harry has a tendency to downplay things so he won't worry. It's annoyingly sweet, most times; now though, he's not willing to mess around.

Hermione nods. "Oh, yes. He's actually shown me a thing or two. He apprenticed under a healer for about a year or so," she adds, helpfully.

"And he can make potions?" Jake asks, feeling silly. Honestly, every time he says 'potions' he feels like giggling. Only the seriousness of his concerns keeps his face straight and his mind firmly on the fact that yes, they actually make and use potions.

Hermione nods again. "Yes, he's probably about a year away from being a Master if he continues his studies," she says, pride coloring her words. She smiles softly when she sees Jake relax and absently run a hand through Harry's hair. "Honestly, Jake. Remus scouted the nearest Healer the first day they got here."

After unpacking and a meal, it was the next thing he had done. He rarely went anywhere without knowing such things since he had Teddy.

Harry and Jake give her identical surprised expressions. "Really?" they ask at the same time.

"Yes," Hermione says with a laugh, rolling her eyes a little. "The contact information is on a magnet on the icebox."

"I hadn't noticed," Harry mutters. He gives Jake a pointed look. "Happy now, love? All worries addressed?"

Jake snorts and pecks a quick kiss on Harry's lips, refusing to feel bad about his concerns. "Not quite. What are the spells you want Harry to learn?" he asks Hermione, muffling Harry's protests with his hand a moment later.

Hermione grins. "He knows. It's noting major, just basically the magic equivalent of a pregnancy test."

"Wouldn't one from a store work?" Jake asks, curious.

Hermione's lips purse and she hums thoughtfully. "I don't know," she says with a shrug. "Muggle things don't usually mix with magic so well. Or be very compatible with wizards. So, it's hard to say if it would read properly. Besides, it's unlikely the same hormones would be present to give an acuurate result."

"Wow, weird," Jake says with a grin at Harry. "Sorry, babe," he says kissing Harry's nose and smoothing a finger along the scowl between Harry's brows. "Maybe you should go learn those?" he says to Harry. He makes no move to shift Harry, though. He quite likes his Harry in his lap.

"Not yet." Harry pouts and aims it at Jake and then Hermione. "Tomorrow?"

Hermione huffs but there's no real annoyance in the action. "Fine."

"And Draco has to join in too," Harry insists with a smirk.

Hermione smirks back. "Of course, he should know as well," she pauses, expression thoughtful. "Right?" She is mostly unsure if Draco had even intended on having a family or not. The amused expressions that pop onto Harry and Jake's faces are confusing.

Jake and Harry both laugh. "Yeah, I'm rather sure," Harry says, well aware of Draco's preferences. He had admitted it simply because he didn't have to do as much... The lazy bastard. Also, it isn't as if Joe or Jake would be able to conceive. He sees a knowing grin on Jake's face and he wonders if they've compared notes or something.

"Ah, right," Hermione says with pink cheeks when she realizes what Harry's implying. She had only a basic understanding of how... things worked between two men and she really doesn't know by looking who'd do what. Oh Merlin, she groans to herself. Now she's got mental images... not all that unpleasant, but still. Those aren't pictures she needs in her head if she's ever going to look any of them in the eye again. "Yes. Tomorrow," and with that she hurries away, intent on finding Luna.

They needed to figure out sleeping arrangements. She doesn't mind Gloria sharing with them but with Seth and Leah both imprinting... Well, it might change things around a bit. She hopes to have Luna to herself, not even sparing a thought if it's proper or not to thrust two new couples together.

~oOo~

"I don't get it."

Goyle looks away from where his daughter is perched on Luna's lap, surrounded by vampires. He should probably be a little more worried about the situation but none of the vampires had anything but adoring words and praise for his daughter. Or gentle touches if they're close enough to her. He nearly laughs; leave it to Harry Potter to find nice, vegetarian vampires and befriend them.

He looks at Blaise, who's also watching his daughter. He's not sure why his friend is smirking and he wants to tense with the possibilities. Is he going to snark about how anyone must have been _Imperio_ 'd to sleep with him? Maybe call his parenting instincts into question since his daughter is surrounded by vampires and an admittingly loopy witch? He carefully blanks his face, willing to accept and defend anything Blaise might say.

"What's that?"

Blaise's head jerks slightly towards Natalie and his smirk grows. " _How_ is she so cute? I mean, she's _yours_." His smirk morphs into a fond smile. It is rather strange to see the familiar features on such a small, cute little girl.

Goyle laughs, despite himself and shakes his head. "I have no idea," he admits with a smile. Natalie didn't look much like her mother, only the same hair color. And even that is darkening into the dirty blonde he and Gloria have. He blinks a few times when Blaise's features soften.

"Well, I'd say she looks like her mum, but." Blaise shrugs and waves a dismissive hand, "I can't say that I can recognize it. She's very sweet, Greg."

Goyle nods, not able to speak for awhile. He loves his daughter and it's rather touching to see so many people adore her as well. He didn't think anyone would be cold enough to not at least be polite, but the overwhelming acceptance is so pleasantly surprising.

"Yeah," he finally manages, his gaze back on his daughter. He smiles when she belly laughs when Emmett makes a funny face at her. "Not much of her mother there, really. I'm hoping she won't get my height, though."

Blaise laughs with a shake of his head. "That would be unfortunate," he agrees with a grin. He glares a moment later when Draco flops onto the sofa beside him. "Watch it!" he snaps, pulling his robes out from under Draco's arse.

"So sorry, Blair," Draco says with a smirk. He resituates himself after being nearly toppled over by Blaise's harsh tug.

"Oh fuck _off_ with that. Why didn't you correct him?" Blaise demands, sulking. "I swear you're getting off on it."

Draco snorts. "Maybe a little bit. And I did correct him. Numerous times." He shrugs, completely unaffected by Blaise's sulking or the glare aimed at him. "Just hope he doesn't share his little nickname or they'll all start using it," he says with a devious grin.

"Oh fuck me," Blaise groans and covers his face. "I swear, if he wasn't so tall and mean looking, I'd totally hex his perky arse."

Draco raises an eyebrow and gives Blaise a hard look. "You could but you'd be awfully sad living the rest of your life without dangly bits."

"Oh, right," Blaise snorts a laugh. "Are you hexing off my bits for ogling his perky arse or the threat on it?"

Draco lifts his chin and inspects his nails with a bored expression. "Both, you poncy git. Keep your eyes to yourself." He glares and nods with satisfaction when Blaise looks properly cowed. It really isn't a secret Draco is a possessive bastard, he's not sure why Blaise even joked about his Joe.

"Fine," Blaise huffs. "It's really not fair, there aren't any unavailable arses to ogle."

Draco pauses for a moment as he realizes Blaise is right. "Well, there's always Pansy," he offers and breaks down into manly giggles at Blaise's horrified and slightly disgusted expression. "Right, well, sorry then, mate." He claps Blaise on the shoulder and clucks his tongue. "You can ogle, fondle and shag any arse once you get back home, yeah?"

"Yeah." Blaise nods, expression smoothing out. He shudders again at the thought of Pansy and smacks Draco's chest. "Don't glare, you deserve that for putting the idea of Pansy into my head, you tosser." He glares until Draco nods once, conceding his point. "So, other than the twins, is there anyone else invited to the wedding that I haven't met yet?"

Draco purses his lips a little as he thinks, trying to remember all of the people that Blaise has and hasn't met. "Well, Leah and Seth's mum. Jake's dad, you've not met him." Blaise shakes his head. "The rest of the vampires, but there are two vampires that I have my doubts they'll be showing. Other than that, I think you've met everyone that'll be there."

"I see." Blaise nods thoughtfully. "So, you going to share with me why there's such a small wolf pack?" He has never heard of such a small pack before, even amongst magical werewolves. Remus is the only one he's ever heard of being a 'lone wolf'; any other werewolves are in a pack of at least a dozen or so.

Draco shrugs. "Long story short, Jake started his own and only those loyal to him went with."

"Why do I sense a really long story?" Blaise asks with a raised eyebrow.

Draco shrugs again. "It's not like I can't tell you, you've already learned all our secrets," he intones dramatically. "It's just not a big deal and I don't know all of the details."

"How about just the ones you _do_ know?" Goyle asks, leaning forward slightly, interested in more information. When Draco and Blaise both give him identical amused expressions, he frowns. "What? I'm interested. Gloria is involved, you know."

Draco nods. "Alright, true enough. Well, as far as I know Jake was meant to be the Alpha, but the other tosser was older and settled into the position sooner. By the time Jake was old enough to come into his wolfiness—" Draco waves a hand distractedly, unsure how else to explain it, "He didn't want to step up and be Alpha. And before you ask, I think it's some sort of old family, bloodline thing that made him Alpha originally. I don't know for sure... anyway, at some point he's questioning himself and nearly torturing himself about why he's into blokes and not birds, right, and that's where me and Harry pop in. Literally. We just happened to be on the beach Jake was brooding at when we apparated—What?" he asks, slightly put out to be interrupted.

"You apparated here?" Blaise and Goyle ask at the same time, both sounding surprised and impressed.

Draco nods, "Yeah. Well, I side-alonged with Harry."

"Wow," Blaise breathes. "At least tell me it wasn't from your flat..."

Draco nods again, a smug little smirk on his face. "Yup," he says, popping the 'p'. " _Anyway_ ," he stresses, drowning out any further questions. "We met him on the beach, the poor bastard passes out and we end up hanging around with his friends later. Turns out it was his pack," his cheeks warm slightly without his consent. "We found out about the whole imprinting thing since Jake had swooned at Harry's feet."

He skips over his own experience with Joe, mostly because it's rather embarrassing in his opinion. Luckily, neither wizard seems to notice the gap so he continues. "When Jake told his pack leader that he had imprinted, the congratulatory speeches were cut short when Jake mentioned it was a guy he imprinted on. Sam, the pack leader, kicked him out of the pack."

"What?!" Blaise shouts.

"I didn't know that could happen!" Goyle says with shocked, wide eyes.

Draco gives them both a sad smile. "I don't think any of them did. I got the impression Sam just went with a gut feeling and it worked. It all worked out for the best, though. Nearly everyone else walked away with Sam. The only exceptions being Seth and Joe. Seth, well he's quite loyal to Jake. They're like brothers. Joe, he said he stayed for the same reasons and also because he was in the same boat. So, Seth figured out a way for Jake to start his own pack and there you have it," he says, spreading his hands and leaning back with a sigh.

"Leah came along a little later, mostly because of Seth but I think she was looking forward to getting away from Sam."

"Why?" Goyle asks, still perched near the end of the sofa cushion. He is absolutely amazed with the whole story and feels a painful tug of sympathy for Jake. He's feeling better about Gloria being attached to the wolf pack; there is clear respect and love amongst the small group and he's relieved his sister will be a part of that.

He doesn't think she'll have a problem with Jake and Joe's imprints, but he doesn't know for sure and the first worm of anxiety wiggles through him. She was raised as a muggle and same sex couples are still struggling for acceptance. He doesn't want Gloria to alienate herself or Seth.

Draco shrugs and flicks his hair out of his eyes. "Not sure. I get the impression there was something between her and one of the guys in the pack. And that didn't work out. She hasn't said and I didn't ask. It was pretty obvious it was something that pained her when she mentioned it," he says softly.

Leah doesn't look vulnerable often but she had when she'd mentioned her past relationship. He is sure she was involved with one of the other pack members and they had imprinted on someone else. He can only imagine how badly that would hurt.

Goyle and Blaise both nod, both making mental notes to not ask. They haven't known Leah long but they're both aware of her feisty attitude. Just because she's usually smiling and attached to Neville recently doesn't fool them into thinking she wouldn't rip into them. Both are equally as wary of upsetting Neville as well.

"So, they're all close?" Goyle finally asks.

"Yeah," Draco says with a smile and a nod. "One of the reasons Jake didn't self destruct, I think." He shudders lightly; the pain of losing a pack is unimaginable for him. "The pack might be smaller than normal but they're all very close and tight knit."

He looks at Goyle closely, as if trying to read his thoughts. And maybe he does, since his next words are eerily similar to what Goyle was thinking a moment ago. "As long as Gloria is accepting of the pack, she'll be welcomed warmly."

Goyle thinks, sadness slowly creeping in with realization. "She'll have to stay here, won't she?"

"Probably, yeah," Draco nods slowly, with a little uncertainty. "I don't think Seth will really want to leave his pack but..." He pauses and pats Goyle's knee, "There really isn't anything he wouldn't do for her. Let them work it out, yeah?"

Goyle nods sadly. "Yeah."

"Well, if you decide to stick around, you're welcome to," Draco says slowly. He's already taken with little Natalie and he's missed Goyle more than he'd realized. But he doesn't know if his friend is willing to completely uproot himself and his little family.

"Really? Well, it's not like we've got a lot keeping us back home..." Goyle trails off thoughtfully. "I'll see what Gloria wants, and we'll go from there."

Draco nods with a smile. "It's very new for them, I really wouldn't expect them to move in together and get married." 'Right away', he doesn't add. Seth would do anything Gloria asked of him, so it's mostly down to how Gloria takes everything. He nearly crosses his fingers with hope she accepts Seth and they have even a fraction of what he's got with Joe.

"No." Goyle frowns playfully. "Married _then_ move in together."

Draco huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes. "Sure, because it's the dark ages and you must protect her virtue." When Goyle nods seriously, he laughs with delight.

~oOo~

Harry moans as he's pinned against the bedroom door. They haven't even made it into their bedroom yet and Jake is already pressing him against the smooth, cool wood. His body warm and solid against Harry's, their hips pressing together urgently.

"Jake," he whispers, groaning as he buries his hands in Jake's shaggy hair.

A muffled noise, seeing as Jake's mouth is pressed firmly against Harry's throat with no intention of moving yet, is the only response as Jake's hands slide down Harry's body, lifting him by the back of his thighs to pick him up and guide his legs around Jake's waist in the same movement.

"Fuck, Jake," Harry whines softly, his head thumping back against the door as Jake's hands slide hot and sure wherever he can reach. His skin tingles, tightens and breaks out into goose-bumps. "In the room!" he finally gets out when a hand slips down the back of his trousers.

He hears a muffled grunt from Jake and he feels Jake turn him before he's falling. He twitches in surprise when he lands on the loveseat in the small seating area. He groans as Jake's fingers deftly remove all his clothing in what seems to be record time.

"Harry, get me naked," Jake instructs needlessly, as Harry is already fumbling with buttons and ripping the t-shirt off over his head. He really doesn't care if they did it in the hallway or on the sofa, he just needs Harry. Now.

He chuckles when Harry's movements get slightly frantic, finally helping the process by shimmying out of his underwear before Harry can start yanking on it. He groans softly when their bare bodies slide against each other. "Finally," he murmurs, cupping Harry's ass with his hands and using it as a grip to pull Harry close for a kiss.

Harry sighs softly, "Merlin, I could kiss you forever," he hums, his hands sliding over Jake's back and arse. "Are you going to romance me or are you feeling impatient?"

Jake leans back, actually thinking it over. "I don't know, which would you prefer?" he finally asks, realizing he really can go either way. It isn't a huge surprise, but most times they end up in a frenzy, tearing at clothes and pawing each other almost roughly. They did have their tender moments, but mostly... it's like this; hot and frenzied and fantastic.

Harry stretches his arms languidly over his head, arching slowly up into Jake,rolling his hips. He sighs softly. "I don't care, love. Just... fuck, a little of both?" he finally asks, lust sharply spiking through him and he arches up into Jake again.

Jake grins and kisses Harry slowly but moves his hand down, moaning quietly when he wraps a hand around a fully hard, leaking cock. "A little of both," he agrees, sounding a little breathless. He doesn't know if he really can now that he's agreed; he's already starting to get impatient to feel Harry surrounding him and watching him writhe and moan.

"Okay," he says, mostly to himself. He slowly leans back, keeping their hips connected and runs his hands all over Harry's chest, down his arms. Enjoying the warm, soft skin under his fingers. He leans forward slowly, kissing a path wherever his fingers were as far as he could reach without shifting apart.

He's in no way going to move if he'd loose the glorious feeling of their erections pressed hot and wet together. He ducks his head, nipping and mouthing at both of Harry's erect nipples, amazed and turned the fuck on when Harry makes a whimpery little moaning sound and arches up against him. He slide his hands down to cup Harry's ass, pressing close again and moaning as their erections press and slide together.

"Shall I?" Harry asks, no longer feeling the urge to wait.

Jake nods, knowing what Harry means. He shivers and groans when he feels Harry's magic tingle across his cock, slicking him. "Oh fuck," he mumbles, reaching down and finding Harry already slick as well. He wiggles two fingers inside, kissing Harry hard when he feels his wizard arch and writhe with the move. It's insanely hot watching Harry arch, writhe and sigh while Jake touches him.

"Alright. Fine. _Now_ ," Harry says, ignoring Jake's frown. He knows Jake only just now had three fingers in his arse but he really can't wait. As soon as Jake touches him, he's ready for more. He conjures a little more lube. It's warm and Jake's body shudders with pleasure. He pushes against Jake's shoulders lightly, grinning up at his stunned expression when Jake shifts back.

He doesn't explain, he just settles himself on the back of the loveseat, resting his stomach on the back cushions with his arse waggling in Jake's face. "Ready."

Jake stares at Harry's ass, nearly drooling as he sees Harry's back arch beautifully as he wiggles his ass at Jake in invitation. He takes a moment to appreciate the welcoming, glistening present that is Harry and doesn't need to be asked twice. He shuffles forward, running his hands along Harry's back and down, palming each cheek and spreading before lining himself up and slowly sinking into Harry.

He groans, squinting his eyes shut against the nearly-too-much sensation of Harry's warm body clenching around him, pulling him in. He's still surprised Harry is so tight, blaming the mild healing charms Harry tends to use. He has never asked Harry to stop using them even if a primal part of him would like to keep Harry loose and slick.

A grunting, moaning sound nearly halts his progress and concentration. He regrets not insisting on stretching Harry more and he nearly stops his movement until he realizes Harry's sounds are of pleasure and the horny bastard is bouncing and sliding himself backwards onto his cock, trying to fuck himself on it. Breathy little moans aren't quite muffled by the sofa cushions Harry's got his face buried into.

" _Jake_ ," Harry groans, frustrated and annoyed when Jake's hands clamp around his hips, stilling his movements.

Jake leans forward, draping himself over Harry's back, running his hands all over any part of Harry he can reach before sliding his hands down to rest on Harry's belly. "Gimme a moment, babe," he murmurs into Harry's ear, licking and nibbling along the delicate outer shell.

Between Harry's magic, his tight, slick ass pressing against him and how worked up he was, he _needs_ a moment to keep from ending things too quickly. A long moment.

Harry groans but nods, now aware he can feel Jake's pelvis resting against his arse. He smirks and conjures a cock-ring, chuckling lowly when he feels Jake jerk in surprise and shout with shock. He wasn't sure if he could get it to conjure right around his cock or not and grins triumphantly to himself. Got it. He leans back and looks over his shoulder, shifting to get his arms under him in a better angle before slowly moving to fuck himself on Jake's still body, paused in his shock.

"Oh, fuck," Jake gasps, keeping himself still only because he's still in shock. He's staring down at the leather cock-ring that's appeared around him and his head falls back slightly with a loud moan as Harry's movements start to get faster and gain power. His hands circle Harry's hips again, not to stop the movement but to help this time.

He moves his knees, widening his stance, rolling his hips _just so_ and chuckles when Harry cries out, arching his back again. "Ah," he says with a breathy gasp, making sure to keep the angle once he's found the one that has Harry make _that sound_ , hands scrabbling for something to grab. He slides a hand around from Harry's hip to rest on the small of his back, pressing down lightly to keep the angle for Harry's continued pleasure. Another minute or two and he'll be sobbing and moaning loudly.

Harry moans, reaching back to grab at Jake, fingers digging into flexing muscle. "Move dammit," he growls out, moaning loudly when Jake immediately snaps into action. He relaxes slightly, flopping down to rest against the back of the sofa, letting Jake take over.

He's vaguely aware they've neglected silencing charms as he moans Jake's name as the thrusts pick up in speed and strength. He can't find it in himself to care as he arches up against Jake's chest, loving the feeling of Jake draped over him while he thrusts in and out.

"Ready?" Jake whispers in Harry's ear, his hands sliding down Harry's flank to fist his slick cock. He feels Harry nod against his lips, barely a pause in the moans and filthy words as Jake slides up and down Harry's cock. "Oh fuck, touch yourself," he begs, letting go so he can pop the restrictive cock ring off.

Harry shakes his head weakly, knowing what Jake wants but too spent and utterly boneless to need further stimulation. He moves with Jake's frantic thrusts, muffling himself in the cushion as he comes, clenching and trembling as Jake fucks him through it. He hears a grunt of satisfaction before Jake's twitching and coming moments later, flopping gracelessly onto his back and leaving a trail of wet, lazy kisses along his shoulders and neck.

"That was evil," Jake chuckles, between kisses. He nuzzles into Harry's neck and slowly draws is hands down Harry's quivering flanks.

Harry shivers, turns his head enough to kiss Jake's jaw. "But amazing, though, right?" he asks, voice slightly muffled by the cushion he hasn't moved his face out of yet. He's way too comfortable to move, fearing Jake will move if he thinks he's being squished. He sighs happily when Jake wraps both arms tightly around his chest and flops them onto their sides. He moans softly when Jake stays put, not quite moving enough to have him slide out yet.

"Oh, yes. Amazing and evil," Jake informs him, a smile in his voice. It was good Harry snuck that cock-ring on when he did or it wouldn't have last nearly as long. Surely the reason why Harry did it, he ponders. "Mmm, but next time, a warning? It was a surprise almost painful."

Harry jerks and leans around. "Oh! I'm sorry love, I didn't— Fuck, I thought I did it right."

Jake chuckles, kissing Harry wherever he could reach. "You did it right, I'm sure. But between already being deep inside you and getting that magic tingle? It felt like you forced the orgasm back inside ," he says lightly so Harry won't feel bad. It had almost been painful but mostly just... surprising.

"Oh," Harry murmurs. "Still, I don't think I'll do that again, even if it was nice for a moment."

Jake just hums and squeezes Harry, turning him so he could kiss him. "Fine fine. Shower then we have to sneak down and act like we didn't wander off."

Harry chuckles but makes no move to do anything until Jake picks him up, taking him into the shower.

~oOo~

"Fred!"

"What?"

"Let's _go_! Harry's going to be married with a gaggle of littles at this rate, you wanker!" George grins when Fred only laughs at him.

He paces, his smallish suitcase packed and waiting by the floo. He wouldn't lie to himself, or Fred if he asked, but he is rather nervous. He hasn't seen or spoken to Harry weeks before he'd left for America and he is getting nervous about the reception they'll receive. Draco had assured them both they'd be welcome but he isn't as sure.

Neither he or Fred gave a rat's arse who Harry was with, they both missed their adoptive brother terribly. He isn't the only one that is annoyed with his family for the way the reacted to Harry; Fred is just as appalled at their own family as he is.

"Have you taken my good robes?" Fred hollers down the stairs, making George jump slightly.

George rolls his eyes, wishing his twin can see it. He can probably _feel_ it though. Just as good. "No! I've got my own, you git! Hurry it up or I'm going without you!" he yells up at the ceiling.

He really wouldn't leave without Fred, but he needs to hurry this along. They are already a day later than planned. He honestly doesn't want to show up right before the wedding. It would be really nice to have a breather and some rest before the big event. He's sure he'd like to be well rested to face Harry's fiancé; he'll need all his wits about him if Draco wasn't exaggerating.

He grins when he hears Fred thumping down the stairs. "Finally!"

"Yeah, yea, yeah," Fred flips him off with a grin. "Let's go then." He steps past George to the floo, grabs a large pinch of powder and disappears in a rush of green flames before George can even curse at him for the hold up. He wasn't able to pack beforehand since he got stuck with 'Ron duty' and didn't want the wanker asking where he was going if he saw the suitcase.

He lands in a large, open, bright room and grins as he slaps soot and ash off himself. He looks around and whistles approvingly, the noise dying in his throat when he sees two large, imposing looking men sitting on chairs facing the fireplace. Waiting, not so patiently by the looks of them, for him and George. He briefly wonders if they've been there long…

"Hullo gents," he says, forcing a jovial tone. He stumbles forward when George bumps into him as he tumbles out of the floo behind him.

George stumbles into Fred, muttering curses under his breath. "Oi! Get out of the way, arsehole!" he says, smacking himself off with a scowl at his twin. "Honestly, like you've never floo'd with me before," he grouses, completely unaware Fred isn't paying him any mind.

He scowls and goes to poke his brother when he notices the look on his face and turns to follow his line of sight. "Erm." He finally notices the pair of massive blokes.

"Weasley twins?" Jake says, trying to sound menacing, even though he wants to laugh at the display the two are putting on. They just got here and already he likes them. Not that they need to know that just yet.

Fred gulps and nods, stepping behind George slightly, not at all embarrassed to seek protection. Or, at the least, to let George get mauled first. "Fred," he says pointing to himself, being honest for once. He elbows his twin.

"George." Both men's noses twitch and he nearly groans. Shit. They have no chance of trying to trick these two if they can smell the difference between them. He raises a hand and slowly walks towards the sitting men.

Jake grins and stands up. His grin widens when both twins pale slightly as they angle their heads up to look up at him. It's not much, but enough. "Jacob Black, Harry's fiancé." He shakes both hands at the same time, one hand of each twin in each of his.

"Joe. Draco's," Joe says with a small wave, still sitting. He shakes his head at Jake, not at all willing to join him in his game of intimidating the twins. He smiles when the twins grin at him, apparently enjoying his way of introduction.

"So." Jake rocks on his toes for a moment as the twins smooth their clothes and settle themselves a bit. He really doesn't want to hurt the twins, but he is not willing to take any chances. "Before I get Harry, I just want to be sure of something."

Fred and George nod eagerly, well aware of what Jake wants. They'd exchanged a few owls with Draco and both know Jake is going to now interrogate them. If they don't get his approval, they're sure they'll be going right back through the floo.

"Why did you come?" Jake asks, confusing both twins.

"For Harry," they answer in unison.

"Yes, but _why_?" Jake asks, smiling slightly.

"Well, he's like a brother to us—" Fred says, as if it was obvious.

"—wouldn't miss this for anything, mate," George answers, smoothly ending Fred's thought.

"Uh huh," Jake says, expecting both answers. "Now, be honest; will Harry be glad to see you?" he asks, not even trying to soften his voice.

Fred and George share a look. Fred nudges George, obviously making him the speaker for them at the moment. "I think so. I mean, we haven't really spoken in awhile, but it's not like for any other reason than just because shit happens."

Joe chuckles, startling Jake, who apparently forgot he is sitting there. "Jake," he says, pulling on the other man's arm to get him to bend down. Jake slowly leans down, eyes still on the fidgeting twins, and tilts his head a little as Joe whispers to him. "Leave 'em alone, man. They're cool. Go get Harry and stop being a dick."

"Fine," Jake snorts a laugh but nods and straightens back up. "Stay," he says to the pair of red-heads and walks out of the room, chuckling to himself at the vigorous nods he gets.

~oOo~

The day goes by in a blur. Harry keeps himself sane and occupied by keeping to the kitchen with Esme. As much as he wants to just stay in his room with Jake, there are still things to do.

The caterer bailed out earlier that morning and he couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed. He hated that cow and smirked as he laughed over the phone at the nervous sounding assistant that called to deliver the 'bad' news. He isn't thrilled to be cooking for so many people at such short notice, but with Esme's help and the occasional helping hand from whoever passes through the kitchen, it was going amazingly well.

He stares off, a smile on his face, as he stirs the batter for the wedding cake. Esme nearly cried when Harry said he'd make it himself. Apparently that was one thing she can't quite get over having to do on their own. She'd enlisted Alice to decorate it though, laughing when Alice held up four little plastic grooms for the top, so Harry feels quite good about it.

"Do you think it's because—" Esme looks around and leans in closer to Harry, whispering out of habit even though no one else is in the kitchen with them, "It's a same sex coupling?"

Harry grins, unsure what she's talking about but amused in spite of his befuddlement. "What?"

He sometimes forgets how old Esme really is; her youthful appearance belying her many, many years. He honestly is surprised all of them are so accepting and comfortable around him and Draco since they all were from 'simpler' times or Muggle societies that didn't look upon their kind of relationships favorably.

Esme huffs, which is funny to Harry because the little vampire has no need to use her lungs. "The caterer being such a b-i-t-c-h and the whole—" She waves her hands around, trying to find a good word, "kerfuffle that happened."

Harry laughs, bending at the waist. Esme spelling a curse word is amusing on its own, but the word 'kerfuffle' makes it impossible not to laugh. "I haven't a clue, Esme," he finally answers her, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I supposes it's possible. She was a right cow from the go, before she even knew who was marrying whom. I honestly don't know how she gets any business."

Esme scoffs, pulling a large package of ground meat from the fridge and tearing it open with a little more force than needed in her annoyance. "I don't know either, dear. Some people think it's okay to put up with rudeness if the results are good enough," she says, clearly not agreeing with such a thing. "I mean, if I behaved like that would people still buy my designs?"

She adds ingredients to the meat in the large bowl. Seth requested meatballs and she couldn't possibly have denied him. Draco will probably pout at the 'uncouth' choice, but Esme is sure Joe will sooth his ruffled feathers.

"Probably," Harry says with a grin. He can't imagine Esme being anything other than sweet and nurturing.

Esme scoffs again, flipping her hair with a jerk of her head. She smooshes the ground meat, a slight frown on her face. "Honestly. I don't understand it. Well," she says with a sigh, closing her eyes briefly. "Now we don't have to put up with her here on your day," Esme says brightly, forming the meat into perfectly shaped balls. "I'd have a hard time being nice to her."

Harry grins and pats her shoulder. "I'm glad she won't be here, too."

He glances briefly at the front of the house when the doorbell sounds but goes right back to his cooking when he hears Draco answer it. The tents, tables and chairs being delivered are the his territory anyway since Harry wouldn't know, or care, where any of it went.

He's only slightly surprised to hear the irate blonde holler about the lateness of the delivery. Harry snorts, like the delivery wizards cared it's needed tomorrow.

Just as he slides the last of the cake pans in the oven, he twitches when arms wrap around his waist. "Don't sneak up on a body while they're at an oven, love," he says and tilts his head to give Jake a kiss on his jaw.

"Sorry," Jake murmurs. He'd smack himself for not thinking but luckily he's easily distracted by Harry's ass rubbing into his crotch. "Wait." He chuckles and turns Harry around. "I've got something to tell you." Harry just looks up at him expectantly. "We've just got more guests."

Harry's brow furrows. "Who?" he asks, trying to think who else would be coming. Everyone that will be staying with them is already there.

Jake pauses for a moment before sighing. "Draco invited the twins."

"Which twins?" Harry asks slowly, trying not to get too excited. He knows only one set of twins…

"Weasley twins," Jake says, amused. It's easy to see Harry trying to rein in his excitement and he just wants to squeeze Harry until he squeaks.

"Really?" Harry breathes.

Jake nods, relief and warmth flooding through him at the way Harry's whole face lights up with the news. Any lingering doubts disappear and he makes a mental note to thank Draco. "Really, they're in the living room," he says with a laugh.

Harry makes an excited noise and kisses Jake before wiggling out of his grasp and running towards the living room. Jake just sighs happily, laughing outright when he hears Harry make the excited noise again and twin shouts of greeting.

He turns to Esme, who watched the whole interaction with a loving smile on her face. "I guess tea? That's what you're supposed to do right?"

Esme laughs and nods. "Sure thing, dear. I've got it. Go." She makes a shooing gesture at Jake. "Go sit with your man. I'll bring it out when it's ready."

Jake nearly declines, he hadn't meant for Esme to make the tea but he goes with a sheepish smile when she puts her hands on her hips and gives him a stern look. "Alright, alright," he says and hurries into the living room.

He smiles when he sees Harry sitting between the twins, his head whipping back and forth as the twins talk, their sentences smoothly intertwining in a single conversation. He sits back and just enjoys watching Harry for awhile, loving the happy expression on his face. He really could kiss Draco for inviting the twins. Even if he was unsure at first, he'd gladly apologize to the snarky blonde.

He thanks Esme when she brings the tea, grinning when the twins reach for their mugs at the same time and fix their tea in the same manner, their attention unwavering from Harry for a moment.

"That's so weird," Joe mutters, gaze flicking between the twins as they talk back and forth to Harry.

"I know," Jake agrees. Attention mostly on Harry, who looks completely at ease with the odd mannerisms of the twins. "I've got to thank Draco," he says, finally tearing his gaze away from Harry's happy face. "Will he rub it in my face too badly?"

Joe snorts a laugh and wiggles a hand in front of him. "Probably, but not for long. He'll get in one really good, smug little 'I told you so' but drop it completely after that. Not that I'd blame him," he says with a grin. "C'mon, we got chores," Joe says, clapping Jake on the back as he stands.

Jake nods and follows Joe, waving when Harry looks at him and he mouths 'later, love' before returning his attention back to the red heads.

He's surprised he doesn't feel any jealousy towards the twins that have Harry's complete attention and obvious affection. The hands on Harry's knees or the tight hugs could easily have been misinterpreted as 'non-brotherly' if he wanted to but something about the ways the twins interacted with Harry didn't set him ill at ease and he sighs with relief.

They head outside to help the wizards moving tables, tents and chairs with furious wand movements with every direction from an irate Draco, Rosalie and Alice watching and offering opinions when asked. Gloria is watching the goings on tucked comfortably at Seth's side, occasionally leaning up and saying something to him with a smile on her face.

Draco huffs, hands on his hips as Joe easily places tables wherever he points. "I need to talk to you," he says as soon as the Joe unfolds the last table. He grabs Joe by the elbow and heads towards the house but doesn't go inside yet. He glances back, a smirk on his face as Rosalie easily picks up where he left off, bossing the poor wizards setting up the tents.

"What's up, love?" Joe asks, brushing stray strands of hair out of Draco's eyes. He wants to pulls his blonde closer but he resists because Draco looks annoyed, he's just not sure if he's the cause or not.

"Angela finally called me back." Draco huffs with annoyance.

"Uh, isn't that good news?" Joe asks, his brows scrunching together in confusion. Draco has been anxiously awaiting the real estate agent's call.

"Well, yes, but _now_? We're getting married tomorrow and then were off on a honey moon for…" He trails off and gives Joe a hungry look that nearly has Joe picking him up and dragging him into whatever empty room they came across first. "Three weeks."

"Ah," Joe says, blatantly adjusting himself in his jeans. He really doesn't care if Draco sees; it's no surprise to Draco he can get Joe going with just a look. "So, bad timing then?"

Draco scoffs and gives Joe a look that clearly says 'duh!'. "Only slightly. I haven't talked to Harry about it," he says, worrying his the inside of his bottom lip for a moment. "Angela said the 'zoning problem' has been solved."

He scowls and folds his arms across his chest before flopping forward to rest against Joe. "Apparently when Angela asked about the properties, she used our names. Not that it bothers me, I have no problem throwing either of our names around if it helps." He smirks. "But this time around, it appears that greedy arseholes were hoping we'd stomp down there and demand answers."

Joe hums, running his hands down Draco's back and butt. "I don't get it. How does that cause zoning problems?" he finally asks when Draco only sighs and molds himself against Joe's front instead of continuing his explanation.

"Not a clue, love," Draco says, sounding amused. "I think it was just an excuse so we'd go and get in their faces. They were either after meeting us," he says, tone smug and making Joe chuckle, "or hoping we'd offer obscene amounts of money to make the problem go away. Either way? I don't give a rat's arse. Angela was able to work her magic and have everything put on hold for a few weeks so we all can go check the place out."

Joe hums again, mixed feelings making him unsure how to continue. "I'm sorta glad but sorta sad," he says softly, nuzzling Draco.

"I know what you mean," Draco says just as softly. He leans back and glares up at Joe, "And if you repeat this, I'll hex you bald." He waits until Joe nods, even if the bastard is laughing, "I'll miss having everyone here."

Joe grins. "I know, I think Harry was happy not to have heard from Angela for so long for the same reason. Maybe not at the stuffed capacity the house it at now, but I can tell he enjoys having a full house."

"He's insane like that," Draco agrees with a smile. He actually agrees with Harry; he had only Mother and Father growing up, in a massive house. He enjoys being around other people as well, the sense of family being surprisingly welcome and heartwarming for him. "We're not going anywhere, right?"

Joe shakes his head. "I don't see why we would. I mean, the house is huge. It's not like we'll be tripping over Jake and Harry." He urges Draco's face up to look him in the eye, "Anytime you want to change that, you say something, alright? I'm not obligated to live here just because we're pack."

It's clear they all have to have a discussion about living arrangements, and soon. With the rest of the pack imprinting, it was top priority now.

Draco nods slowly. "No, I know that. I, erm, well. I really don't want to leave Harry alone just yet."

"He's not alone," Joe says, grinning widely.

"Oh shut it, you arse. You know what I mean! Besides, I talked him into this huge house. The least I can do is share it for awhile yet," he says, lifting his chin slightly.

"Mmhmm," Joe agrees, kissing Draco softly. He really isn't surprised his Draco has such a big, caring heart. Others might be, but he knows better. He's not sure how long they'll stick around, but he's in no rush to leave. "So." He pulls back slightly, "we're staying. Who, may I ask, are you buying houses for?"

Draco runs his teeth over his top lip. "Everyone? I don't care who stays here, honestly. I'm surprised I haven't hexed anyone yet," he smirks. "But you lot need homes, so…"

Joe shakes his head, not really in denial but just amazement. "I seriously don't understand you two."

"Hey, I just like buying things. Harry is the golden-hearted Gryffindor," Draco says with a sniff. "He can't stand the idea that people he cares about need something. If he can help, he's going to."

"I get that, but this is so… huge."

"Harry has no scale for that kind of thing, love," Draco says softly.

"Alright," Joe says, with a sigh. He's not going to get anywhere arguing and it's not like he wants to refuse, even if he could. "Oh, the twins got here a short while ago."

"Yeah? Did Jake scare them?" Draco asks with a grin.

"A little," Joe says with a laugh. "So, I think short of one or two vampire guests, we're ready to be married tomorrow," he says lowly, nibbling Draco's ear as he leans down.

"Yeah," Draco breathes, excitement and nerves zinging through him leaving him slightly lightheaded. "Oh Merlin, _tomorrow_ ," he repeats, beaming up at Joe, shivering lightly. "I can't wait."

Joe nods, quietly agreeing but unable to voice it for a moment. He's ridiculously emotional at the bright smile lighting Draco's face and he can only nod before burying his face in Draco's neck. God, he's such a sap. "C'mon" he finally says, after long moments of controlled breathing, Draco's scent soothing him.

"Where?" Draco asks as Joe takes him by the hand and leads him towards the house.

Joe just gives Draco a grin. He isn't about to tell his Draco he's under strict orders to collect him and Harry, at 4 sharp, and deliver the two wizards to Hermione for secret lessons. Luna actually was the one to tell him, and he was in no way not going to do what the little blonde witch bid.

Well, they probably aren't secret but Hermione wouldn't say what they were for, but she did say Draco was free to tell him later. Joe only shrugged, fine with knowing or not knowing.

"Just follow," he says instead of an answer. Harry is still sitting between the twins, smiles on all their faces and a definite happy vibe surrounding them. "Ah! Harry! Sorry guys, gotta borrow him a moment," he says, pulling Harry up with his other hand. Without waiting for a response from either twin, he drags Harry up and out of the room.

"What's up?" Harry asks, looking around as Joe leads them to the study. He looks to Draco and only gets a shrug in answer. "I haven't finished in the kitchen with Esme," Harry says, glancing at his watch and feeling a little guilty. He'd spent longer chatting with the twins than he'd thought… it was nearly time to start dinner now, not to mention finish the dishes for tomorrow. He knew Esme wouldn't mind, but he still feels he should be helping.

"Not to worry, shouldn't take long," Joe says, pushing both wizards through a door and closing it quickly behind them.

"Hey 'Mione," Harry says when he sees the witch. Then he pales and backs up, smacking into the closed door.

Hermione chuckles and waves a hand. "Honestly, Harry. Don't be such a baby. It's just two spells, and only for practice. Really, you should have been taught these ages ago, a glaring oversight. Draco?"

"Sure, I'm ready," Draco answers easily, smirking at Harry.

"Fine," Harry says, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Draco and Hermione. "I already left Esme alone in the kitchen long enough chatting with the twins," he says with a huff. "Let's get this over with."

Hermione smiles. "I'm glad they could come. And Harry?" She grins when Harry reluctantly looks at her, "Esme will be fine in the kitchen, so shut up and listen up." She laughs when Harry's bottom lip pooches out and he huffs.

"Now." She opens the first book, finding the page she wants and pulls the bookmark out as she lays the book flat. "The first one is easy enough," she says and shows them the wand movements. "Ready?"

Harry pulls his wand from his pocket. He glances down at the book and repeats the spell, flicking and swirling his wand as Hermione showed them. " _Gravida_ ," he murmurs. He glares at his wand and then Hermione when nothing happens.

"Honestly, Harry. Even you can't expect to get it the first time." She rolls her eyes and grins, waving her hand at him. "Keep practicing."

It only takes a few more tries before Draco is the first to get it to work. He smirks when a misty, cloudy looking light pops from the end of his wand to encircle his midsection. It dissipates a moment later; trickling down to mid-thigh before puffing away with a whiff of lavender. "Well, that's quite pleasant," Draco murmurs. "I'd nearly forgotten how nice some of the healing spells can smell." His nose scrunches a moment later with the memory of the 'stitching' spell; that smelled more like singed hair.

"Shall I, Harry?" he asks, smirking at the frustrated wizard as he points his wand at Harry's stomach.

"No," Harry huffs, annoyed. He no longer cares about whether or not he wanted to learn these annoyingly embarrassing spells, now he just wants to get them right so he can be done.

He swirls and flicks his wand, muttering until finally a similar light pops out of the end of his wand. He smirks in triumph at Draco and Hermione, pausing when they both stare wide-eyed at his belly.

"What? I know I got it right," he says, looking down. His misty cloudy light isn't colorless, nor is it dissipating quickly like Draco's did. He slowly looks up, his eyes widening impossibly as Draco and Hermione both start smiling at him.

"You've got purple, Harry," Hermione says, sounding breathless. Harry can't tell if it's from excitement, happiness or... what.

He only know he himself is having a hard time breathing, the air around him seeming like water as he tries to get it into his lungs. "Oh bugger," he mutters, staring at the slowly dissipating purple misty cloud.


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione's smile slowly fades as she watches Harry. Honestly, she's just as surprised to see the spell clearly indicating a positive reading but she's not sure why Harry looks ready to pass out. He's too pale and his chest is moving a little too rapidly for her comfort.

She steps closer, worrying her bottom lip as she takes in Harry's wide eyes in his pale face. "Are you alright, Harry?" she asks quietly, her hand raising uncertainly.

Harry's head shakes slowly from side to side, then nods up and down before shaking from side to side again, his eyes unfocused and still wide. "I don't know," he finally mumbles after he's able to find his voice.

He knows what purple means. Purple is too fucking soon. Purple is supposed to be impossible. Purple is... Oh fuck. He laughs at himself for being so dramatic as his knees wobble but thankfully Draco is holding him a moment later. Even to his own ears, the laugh sounds slightly hysterical and more like he's crying.

"Harry," Draco says, dropping his wand and using both arms to hold Harry and running a calming hand through Harry's hair. He's not all that surprised Harry is shocked but he's starting to get worried. Harry looks more than surprised. He looks devastated.

He wants to ask what could possibly be going through Harry's mind but he just focuses on comforting Harry for now, settling him more comfortably on his lap as he sits on the floor. He looks up at Hermione, unsure what else to do.

Hermione crouches down. "Harry," she says softly, and touches Harry's arm gently to get his attention. "What's wrong? I'd thought you'd be happier about this."

Harry laughs again, sounding a little less like he's sobbing this time and covers his eyes with a shaking hand for a moment. "I _still_ don't know," he says and slowly lowers his hand. "This isn't supposed to _just happen_. It's not the right time! There are... things you gotta do first! Right? We haven't! How..." he trails off. He's not all together sure how he's going to explain this to Jake.

He groans miserably and burrows his face in Draco's chest, fisting his hands in Draco's shirt. He nearly mumbles an apology for wrinkling the shirt.

Hermione can't help the grin that springs up on her face. She giggles a moment later, glaring back at Harry when he looks up and scowls at her. "Hey, don't get mad at me. I think it's wonderful," she says happily, patting Harry on the head. The panic and shock are understandable and she hopes Harry snaps out of it to look at the big picture.

Harry swats her hand away with a huff. "I'm sure at some point, it'll be wonderful. But right _now_ I'm still freaking out, alright?"

Draco snorts a laugh, and rests his chin on top of Harry's head. "I'm with you, Harry."

"Draco!" Hermione glares at the blonde. "Don't encourage him! I'm shocked you're not being more supportive," she says with a frown. Honestly, after all the two have been through together she's surprised Draco isn't trying to comfort Harry better or at least not encourage Harry's freak out.

Draco sniffs, lifting his chin. "Hey, I _am_ supporting him," he says, nodding down to where he's still has Harry cradled against him. "I'm just agreeing with him that he's allowed to be surprised, alright? And for the record, Harry," he says, a smirk on his face, "I don't think Jake will be upset." He hopes he's pinpointed the main reason for Harry's lack of positive reaction.

"Shit," Harry groans. Jake will freak out. He'd said there were only certain times this could happen. And potions involved (probably). Talks about having a family were still in that 'someday soon, years from now' kind of planning. Not _now_.

He groans again and wills himself not to start crying. "I think... I don't know..." he mumbles again.

Hermione sucks her teeth at the same time Draco makes a loud scoffing sound. "Harry," Draco says, sounding highly amused. "Now, I'm breaking a confidence here, so please don't take this lightly, alright?" Draco says, actually sounding slightly worried. He didn't often discuss things him and Joe spoke of privately and he's now starting to doubt he should do it now. He's pretty sure Joe won't mind... he's amazingly open and hard to embarrass most times and he silently hopes now is one of those times.

"Alright," Harry says slowly, interested and leaning back to look at Draco intently.

Draco hums thoughtfully. "Joe let me know something." He chuckles when Harry only raises an eyebrow at him. "Remember when you'd first told Jake about... this?" Draco says, waving a hand towards Harry's middle. When Harry nods, he smirks. "He's been looking forward to _this_ since then."

Harry's mouth hangs open in surprise. "No way," he says quietly, unsure if he should believe Draco or not. It sounds true but he really wouldn't put it past the blonde to say it to make Harry feel better. Jake always did seem a lot more eager when they'd spoken about it but he didn't think he was eager this early... they were only to be bonded tomorrow.

"Oh yes," Draco says with a firm nod. "Look, they couldn't hide anything from each other for a good while there. And they still can't if it's something they actively think about. Jake was ridiculously excited about the news. That's how Joe found out, by the way."

Harry nods slowly, remembering the shell shocked look on Joe's face that night. "Oh Merlin, this is... fuck, how did this happen?"

"Well, Harry," Draco laughs and pats Harry's head. "When two wizards love each other—"

Harry slaps Draco's chest, fighting a smile. "Shut it, you git. I know _that_ ," he huffs, even though his cheeks are a little pink. "I _meant_ there are steps, right? It's not even..." He pauses and glares Draco. "How likely is it for this to happen without that potion?"

Draco's eyebrows rise slowly. "Depends, Harry. It's really not like it's the _only_ way to conceive," he says with a slowly growing smirk. "Especially for a powerful wizard such as yourself. And with a bonded partner who's also powerful. Why am I not surprised you misunderstood that." He snorts a loud laugh, "You always were dreadful at Potions. Look, it's rather a moot point now but lots of people don't need a potion to conceive, male _or_ female. You're obviously... erm, receptive," he says, sounding slightly awkward.

He's not all that surprised, it's already an established fact that their magicks are highly compatible with that of Jake and Joe's. Add that to the fact that Harry, obviously, wants a child and it's not at all shocking they are sitting here discussing a pregnancy.

"Oh fuck me," Harry groans softly. "But that still doesn't really explain how it happened now. Does it?" He looks to Hermione this time.

Hermione shrugs. "I don't see why not," she says thoughtfully. "It's only a positive, it doesn't indicate how long you've been pregnant," she says, trying not to blush. Usually she'd ask for a general idea when it he might have... conceived.

"Oh." Harry worries his bottom lip. "It would've had to've been recently, though, right? Because of the equinox?" he asks absently, his mind already working. He nearly groans, trying to pinpoint a specific day is going to be difficult. He hadn't been especially randy but he and Jake hadn't bothered with any precautions recently and there had been many times to choose from.

Hermione nods. "Well, yes. Fairly recently, but it's not like you can go by a definitive date, Harry. Honestly. It's all rather vague." She waves a hand about to demonstrate the 'vagueness'. "And it depends on time zones and magical hot spots," she says, amusement clearly in her voice as she waves a hand about again. "Harry, one would think you've not paid any attention at all and took no precautions. Why are you so surprised?" she finally asks, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

"'Mione!" Harry gapes in disbelief for a moment before crossing his arms over his chest. "Not at all true. I misunderstood, that's all. It doesn't mean I'm some idiot that doesn't know anything," he says with a glare at Hermione and Draco. "You make it seem like I did this on purpose or I was too stupid to keep it from happening," he says, his chest hitching, eyes prickling again. He covers his face with his hands, dreading tears and not wanting either to see them.

Merlin, he _is_ an idiot. He'd taken everything so fucking literally and now— He sniffles miserably.

Hermione and Draco share a pained look and both move to hug Harry. They share another look of relief that Harry doesn't push them away.

"I didn't mean to imply you were stupid, Harry," Hermione says, running a soothing hand over Harry's back. She grimaces slightly as she realizes her words could easily have been interpreted that way, especially by a currently over-sensitive Harry. "I'm sorry," she murmurs, wondering how she can forget how little Harry knows about the wizarding world. She keeps any such comments to herself, though, unwilling to further upset her friend.

"I'm sorry, too. Neither did I," Draco says, softly.

He, as usual, didn't think when he spoke to Harry. It has been so long since Harry took anything he's said so personally, he's stopped censoring himself. He nearly groans, unsure how he'll manage with a now hormonal Harry.

He glares at the witch next to him; _she's_ free to leave and head back home anytime she wants, able to escape the craziness he knows to be coming.

Harry sniffles wetly, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm still trying to accept that this could even happen in the first place," he mutters, rubbing his face on Hermione's shoulder, missing her grimace. "Oh Merlin."

He leans back suddenly and glares at Hermione again. "This is all your fault!" he accuses.

"My fault?" Hermione asks, incredulous, as she stands and steps back from Harry a little. "I fail to see how this—" She waves a hand over Harry in sharp movements, "is _my_ fault."

Harry glares, trying to be serious but failing miserably. "If you didn't make me do this, I wouldn't have known yet!" he says, crossing his arms again and huffing. He knows it sounds ridiculous but he can't help it. He still has to tell Jake... and get married while pregnant like a bad soap opera character.

He buries his face in his hands again. Merlin, how does he get himself into these situations?

Hermione nearly snaps at Harry but his shoulders start to shake and it takes the fight out of her quickly. She rolls her eyes and grabs Harry again, holding him close and rubbing his back in soothing circles. "You do realize you're being ridiculous, yeah?" She feels Harry reluctantly nod and she laughs softly. "I know, it's a lot to take in but you need to take a deep breath and think things through clearly." Harry just mumbles into her shoulder.

She takes it as an affirmative of some kind and carefully transfers Harry to Draco. "I'll be right back," she says and slips out of the room before either wizard can react. Harry's distress is freaking her out and she needs a moment to settle herself down so she doesn't say something stupid to him again.

"Harry," Draco starts, smiling slightly when Harry mumbles something in answer, "I know Hermione means well, but you take your time with this, yeah?"

Harry jerks back, his eyes wide. "Why? Are you that sure Jake will be upset? Oh no! Could something bad happen?" he asks in a horrified whisper. He's heard of what can happen... The horrible ideas flit through his mind, making him panic. He feels his chest constrict and he fists his hands in Draco's shirt again, waiting for an answer.

"No no no," Draco soothes, trying to calm Harry. "Merlin no, I didn't mean that, Harry. Listen—" He waits until Harry is looking at him, "You need to remember that thing we can do called _magic._ " He smirks at a now slightly annoyed looking Harry. He'd rather Harry look annoyed than that terrified, panicked look. "You're one of the most powerful wizards in... well, a long fucking time. Do you really think your magic won't be able to protect you and your baby?"

Harry shrugs, worrying his bottom lip. "I don't know," he finally says, honestly unsure. "I've never... well, this is completely unknown to me, Draco."

He doesn't know his magic can do that. Sure, it's healed him on occasion and he rarely suffers bouts of wild magic anymore but he's never really tested his magic to its fullest abilities. He stares down at his still flat stomach with wonder.

"Really?" Draco asks, his eyebrow raised. "You've never known _anyone_ that had a baby?"

Harry shakes his head and looks back up at Draco. "No. Not even muggles." He glares after a moment; he knows how reproduction works but he's never had any personal experience with a pregnant woman—or man—before.

He shrugs. "I don't feel any different though," he says, unconsciously resting a hand on his stomach. "Erm, magically speaking," he clarifies with a slight blush.

Draco hums and purses his lips. "Well, I'm not going to pretend to know any more than you since I've never had to deal with pregnancy before either." He grins. "I'm sure you will shortly, though. It's inevitable, Potter," he adds with a small smirk.

"However, I do know a thing or two that you don't seem to." He shifts, getting more comfortable but keeping Harry close.

Neither hears Joe enter the room, even though he made no attempt to be especially quiet. He looks upon the snuggling wizards with surprised amusement, unsure why he doesn't feel the least hint of jealousy or suspicion at their closeness. He keeps still and quiet once he heard the last few moments of their conversation, though.

Harry rolls his eyes, amused despite himself, though. "Alright, what are these things that you know that I don't?" he asks.

"Well, there are more than that." Draco smirks and easily ducks Harry's hand swinging at him. "But magical pregnancies, regardless of sex, are different than a Muggles'," he says, feeling like a textbook for a moment. "Firstly, conception is more than just biology; there is indeed magic involved that helps the process and eases many of the more... unpleasant aspects."

Harry leans forward, fascinated. "Like what?" he asks. 'Easing of unpleasantness' sounds wonderful.

"Well, morning sickness for one. You'll still get it," Draco says apologetically, "but it won't be as severe or for nearly as long. Secondly, your magical core will temporarily split, sending some to the baby and surrounding it protectively."

Harry tries not to gape. "Wow," he breathes. "Is that... bad for me? Sounds like it would be." He doesn't really mind though; he'll happily make any sacrifice to ensure his baby is protected and healthy.

"Not really. It'll be draining later as the baby grows but, Harry, that's why I don't want you to worry. There isn't much, if anything, that can endanger your baby, now or later. Understand?"

Harry slowly nods, the panic and fear receding but not completely gone; he doesn't think he'll ever fully relax or be free of worries about his child again. He gently rubs his stomach, unaware of the action. "Alright. But why do you think I should wait to tell Jake?" he asks quietly.

"Haven't a clue," Draco snorts a laugh and gives Harry a squeeze. "You're still freaking out. I think you should be calmer when Jake finds out, since he'll freak out. In a good way," he hurries to add. Jake is going to go completely mental, he's sure of it. "Look, it sucks that he isn't the first to know, but don't stress about it, yeah?"

Joe clears his throat, sighing when both wizards jump and give him identical wide eyed, slightly guilty stares. "Dinner's ready."

Harry's the first to recover. "Fuck!" he hisses and covers his face with his hands again. He slowly splays his fingers and peeks at Joe through one of the gaps, "You heard some of that, yeah?"

Joe nods slowly, a small smile on his face. He can understand Harry freaking out but he's torn between happiness for him (and Jake) and a little jealousy. He looks at Draco, giving him a bigger smile. He doesn't mind seeing Draco with Harry practically in his lap, even if Draco seems to think he would.

"Congratulations," he finally says, trying not to make it a question. He smiles and nods firmly, adding to his sincerity.

Harry sighs quietly with relief. "Thanks," he says softly, giving Joe a small smile. "Please don't say anything. I want Jake to hear it from me."

"Of course," Joe says, raising a hand. "I ain't gonna steal your thunder, man. So, dinner?" he asks, offering each wizard a hand up off the floor.

Harry and Draco nod and carefully get to their feet. Harry smiles as Draco and Joe both flank him as they leave, Draco's arm around his waist and Joe's circling his shoulders with protective support.

~oOo~

Harry pushes the food around on his plate, trying to ignore Jake's increasingly worried glances. He normally has a better appetite and he's slightly embarrassed Jake is noticing his lack of one. He glances around the table, instead. Hermione and Neville had to expand the table, and the dining room, before dinner since everyone was present for it.

He sighs happily for a moment before realizing that this is probably the last time they'll all be sitting together. A lot of his friends are headed home after tomorrow. Remus had already extended his vacation as long as he could, and still keep his job, to stay for the bonding ceremony.

He doesn't honestly expect everyone to sit around and wait for them to get back from their honeymoon but he still feels a little sad about it. Hermione and Luna had already said they were headed home right after the boys left for their respective honeymoons.

Teddy and Natalie are sitting together, chattering away as they eat. Harry smiles when he notices Teddy offering Natalie some of his prized root beer. Natalie, never having the experience of Muggle soda, finishes what he has left in his sippy cup and eagerly asks her daddy to buy some as well. Goyle just nods, even if he has no idea what she's just asked for.

Gloria and Seth are sitting together as well, Harry is pleased to notice. They no longer look as awkward or shy around each other and he has to bite his cheek to keep from laughing when Seth offers Gloria a bite from his fork. He rolls his eyes at the pair but he's happy to see them interacting. Gloria had surprised him with a tentative hug before dinner, stammering out a 'thank you'. He wasn't sure why he was being thanked but he hugged her back and gave her a smile.

Billy, Sue, Remus and Nigel are sitting near the end, engaged in their own conversation. As well as Pansy, Greg and Blaise. Harry grins when he notices they're all, cheerfully, lamenting their single status to each other.

The twins, Fred sitting rather close to Blaise, have mostly been quiet as they observe the strange but close family Harry has found himself. They have many questions for Harry and they hope they can corner their adoptive little brother before the night is out.

Hermione and Luna are both rather quiet and Harry nearly rolls their eyes when they keep looking at him with careful concern. He's glad he didn't sit right next to them when Luna smiles brightly at him and mimes rocking a baby.

Leah and Neville are completely ignoring the rest of the table as they eat and talk to each other. Hsrry has stopped caring that Leo ate at the table, occasionally from Leah's hand but usually his own bowl, since the cat didn't go on the table or beg anyone for food. The kitten is small enough to still perch on Leah's lap but it's a near thing anymore. Leo's growth hasn't progressed as it probably should and Harry wonders if the kitten is able to alter his size.

Harry jumps slightly when he feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns to see Joe, Draco peeking at him over the other man's shoulder. "Huh?"

Joe smiles and leans over, talking loud enough to get Jake's attention as well. "Before everyone leaves the table, we should talk."

"About what?" Jake and Harry ask at the same time. They share a grin before looking back to Joe.

Joe grins. "Draco heard from Angela."

"Oh," Harry says, trying to sound excited. "Alright," he answers, aware they've got to finally address living arrangements. He fiddles with his napkin and keeps his gaze on his plate so no one can tell how bothered he is. Sure he knew that they'd have to get something more permanent, but he'd hoped it would take longer.

Jake glances between the three men and sighs, rubbing his temples. He wants to talk to Harry, dammit. He noticed Draco and Joe walk in with Harry, their arms around him in a protective manner and he wants to know why. Every time he's tried to talk to Harry, he's been interrupted.

"Yeah, alright," he agrees with a nod. "Hey," he says louder, getting everyone's attention. "Draco has some news," he announces and grins at the annoyed blonde.

Draco glares at Jake for a minute before clearing his throat. Luckily, everyone is pretty much done eating so he's only competing with pudding for their attention. "Angela called earlier." He waits as the table nearly explodes with murmurs and questions. "I asked her to hold off on showing us anything for a few weeks, until we get back," he says gesturing to himself, Joe, Jake and Harry.

"But what did she say?" Seth asks quietly, holding Gloria's hand. He's torn between being happy and a little sad. He likes staying with Draco and Harry but he's looking forward to his own place, too, even if he'll probably be stuck with his mom and Leah. As much as he'd love to settle with Gloria, it's a little soon. He doesn't even know if her and her family are leaving yet.

Draco waves a hand impatienly. "Long story short, we're pretty much guaranteed the development but you lot have to approve it first, of course." Murmurs greet the news and Draco smiles.

"But we gotta wait until you guys come back?" Leah asks, absently tapping her fingers on the table.

Draco shakes his head. "Well, you don't have to. Since we're not going to be living there, you could look on your own," he says, looking to Harry to see if he agrees. Harry just shrugs his shoulders, looking a little sad, before his eyes drop back to stare at his plate.

"No, I didn't mean— Look, I get this is a big thing you guys are doing and I'm really fucking grateful," Leah says, with a smile. "I meant, well, that it's cool we hang here until then?"

"Yeah," Harry says, perking up some. "You all are perfectly welcome to stay here, or there. Whatever you want."

Leah and Neville share a look, making Harry slightly nervous. "Alright."

Draco clears his throat again. "I know this is all a bit to take in. There are some new... couples that have things to sort out before this can really be seriously thought about, I get that. You lot aren't in any rush, we're not kicking any of you out and Angela will wait for as long as I say so. "

Neville chuckles and shakes his head. "I'm happy to stay with Leah," he says, his cheeks warming. He smiles at a surprised Leah next to him. "C'mon, we did talk about this, I already said I can do my research work here as easily as there." He smiles when Leah just beams at him and kisses him, right on the mouth. "See? How could I even consider leaving that?" he asks quietly, gently running his fingers over Leah's cheek.

Seth laughs, watching his sister blush and look at Neville like a huge lovestruck dork. "Well, I have no idea," he says with a shrug, looking at Gloria. "I don't know if you want to talk about this now?" he asks, lowering his voice as he looks at Gloria.

"I... I don't know," Gloria says quietly, looking at her brother. "I can't ask you to leave," she says even quieter, but knowing Seth will still be able to hear her. "I haven't really talked about it with Gregory. I can't... Oh, Seth," she ends in a whisper, squeezing his hand. She can't leave Seth and she can't imagine leaving her brother and niece.

Seth squeezes her hand back, trying not to say something that'll make him look clingy or bossy. "It's okay, we'll talk later." He leans forward and notices Goyle looking at him. "We gotta talk, man," he says to the large wizard, grinning when Goyle nods with an easy smile. He doesn't know if the dude is alright with talking about it now or later, but he'll go with whatever he wants.

"I know," Goyle says, pulling Natalie onto his lap so he can clean off her face. "I've already discussed it with Draco. We can stay here just as easily as going anywhere else," he says, giving Gloria a smile. He sighs with relief when a brilliant smile grows on her face. He doesn't care where he is, as long as his girls are with him, he's happy. Even if he has to share one now with the young man holding his sister's hand tenderly.

He smiles warmly at Gloria and Seth. "I can't ask you to choose, not after I found out how important this is for you."

Gloria leans over and hugs her brother tightly with one arm. "Thank you," she whispers and tickles Natalie's cheek when her niece sneaks into the hug as well. She feels light with gratitude and happiness. She doesn't think she can admit out loud how much she's grown to care about Seth already and not having to choose between him and her family is so freeing.

She glances shyly at Draco, "Are you sure it's alright that we're here?"

Draco scoffs but gives Gloria a smile, "Absolutely. Isn't it Harry?"

"Of course!" Harry immediately agrees, nodding quickly. He smiles at Jake, squeezing the hand that slips into his. "Right?"

Jake nods. "Yeah, I've finally gotten used to all you people here." He laughs. "Dad?" He grins when his dad looks up, a mouthful of cake still being chewed. "Where you goin'?"

"Oh, well," Billy mumbles before he finishes chewing and swallows the cake down with a swig of coffee. "That depends on Sue here," he says and sends the older woman a leering grin. "She's finally agreed to put up with me, I ain't gonna jeopardize that."

Sue blushes and swats Billy on the shoulder. "Billy Black!" she says with a huff. "I haven't even told the kids," she hisses lowly, sending Leah and Seth an apologetic smile.

"Ugh. Gross." Leah laughs. "Mom, we knew. So?"

Sue wrings her hands nervously in her lap, truly unsure how to answer. "I'm not sure," she finally says. "Billy?"

"Well, that's really up to Jake?"

Jake looks up, his eyes flicking between his dad and Sue. "What?" he says, getting annoyed with the circling discussion and lack of answers. "You're always welcome here, dad," he says rolling his eyes. He sees Harry nodding out of the corner of his eye and sends him a smile. "We can rearrange something on the ground floor. Or you can get out and get your own place," he ends with a grin.

"Ah, see how my boy treats me? Gonna be a married man so he's gotta dump his old man," Billy says with a playful grin. "Well, Sue," he says and gives her his full attention, looking at her seriously. "I'd be a lot more comfortable with Jacob but you are the deciding factor," he says and lays a hand over hers. "I don't care either way."

Sue huffs softly. "Sure, no pressure," she says and rolls her eyes. "We can discuss it later, but it's good to know all the options," she says finally with a smile at Jacob.

"Sure sure, Sue. Either way you decide, I'm cool," Jake says. If his dad isn't going to be with Sue, he'd probably demand he stay here with him and Harry. "So!" he says and claps his hands happily. "I think we're good? All settled?" Nods and murmurs are his answer. He smiles and settles back in his chair, pulling Harry's hand into his lap so he can play with his fingers.

Draco slides his mobile down the table to Leah, "Get Angela's number. Let her know what you lot have decided, yeah? There's no rush, though. We're not going to be here," he says and winks at Joe, "but if you decide before we get back, you'll have her number. Just let her know you're with me."

Leah nods and takes out her own phone to enter the number in. She isn't in any rush to leave, not if Harry and Draco didn't care if they stuck around. "Neville," she murmurs, sliding Draco's phone back to him.

"Hm?"

Leah leans closer, speaking quietly, "What do you want to do?" She nervously plays with Leo's collar, hoping Neville won't make her leave her pack but she would most likely go with him if it came down to it. It's still sinking in that Neville will stay here with her... she's still trying to believe it. "I mean, here or there?"

Neville doesn't hide his surprise, but smiles and wraps an arm around Leah's waist as he brings her close to kiss her cheek. "Whatever you want," he answers honestly before giving her an apologetic look. "I will have to floo home for a bit."

"How long?" Leah asks, petting Leo nervously. She's not sure how long she can manage to be away from Neville... not this soon.

As if reading her thoughts, Neville grabs her hand. "How long can you stand?"

Leah bites her lip and shrugs, "No fucking clue," she finally answers with a huff.

They haven't really been separated since she'd finally stopped being an asshole and they'd imprinted. They don't spend all day together or anything sappy like that, but they see each other every day. She's finally gotten some first hand knowledge of Neville's dextrous fingers but they haven't done anything further than fooling around. She has no idea if it will help or not that they've not... bonded fully.

"I guess we'll just have to see? How long do you think it'll take you?"

"I don't think more than a week," Neville answers with a wince. It isn't long, not really, but it feels like it as soon as he says it.

Leah grimaces but nods. "Alright, fine," she says with a sigh. "If there is a chance you can pop in—?"

Neville smiles and squeezes the hand in his. "I'll pop in every night, yeah?" he offers. They'd only just progressed to sleeping in the same bed two nights ago and he's already gotten used to it. He hopes Leah has too or it could be rather awkward.

"Fuck yeah," Leah says with a grin. She leans forward and kisses Neville softly. "Stick your head in the fire if you can't make it though, alright?"

Neville laughs. "I did get a mobile too, you know."

"Really?" Leah asks, slapping him on the shoulder. "Why didn't you say something?" she demands and starts patting his pockets, looking for the device but enjoying the chance to grope his ass and crotch as well. "You dick."

Nevile laughs again and leans slightly so Leah can find the mobile in his back pocket. "I literally just got it today. Draco took me," he says, sounding slightly awed about it.

He's still surprised to get along so well with Draco and have him be nice and do friendly things for him. Luna had gone but didn't get a mobile, not liking any of the options at the store. Apparently, she required a green one and wouldn't settle for anything less.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you!" he defends when Leah glares at him, momentarily looking up from his mobile.

"Fine, fine, you're forgiven," she says absently, entering Neville's number into her phone. "There." She smirks as she finishes adding her number into Neville's phone. "Now you've got to at least text me everyday," she says with a playful glare. She gives Neville a lingering kiss when he nods dutifully.

~oOo~

Harry fiddles with the blankets, waiting for Jake to come out of the bathroom. He'd tried numerous times since dinner to talk to Jake but got interrupted each time. After the fifth attempt, he figured he wasn't meant to tell Jake yet and stopped trying.

Remus had cornered him after dinner and gave him a tight hug, congratulating him in a hoarse, emotionally choked up voice. Apparently, Remus noticed the change in his scent. He'd been shocked and rather embarrassed but recovered long enough to not deny it and asked him to keep it to himself for awhile. Remus had agreed, giving him another hug and a look that clearly said 'don't keep it to yourself for long', before taking Teddy up for his bath.

Now, however, he's nervous again about how Jake will react. He's glad Jake's sense of smell isn't as keen as Remus' when he's not a wolf. He jumps slightly when the door opens, revealing a naked, slightly dripping Jake sauntering out of the bathroom. He stares, watching as Jake wanders around the room absently rubbing a towel over his hair.

"Jake," Harry says quietly, trying not to be distracted by the damp, naked man now standing at the foot of the bed. He barely notices an amused eye peeking out of the towel, his gaze focused downwards.

Jake shifts the towel to see Harry better. He tosses his towel into the hamper and crawling up the bed. He smirks when Harry's eyes follow his movements instead of speaking. He shimmies up the bed, sliding in behind Harry and pulling him against his chest. "I wanted to ask you something," he says, nuzzling behind Harry's ear when the other man still hasn't spoken.

"What?" Harry murmurs, closing his eyes as Jake's hands smooth across his chest and stomach while his lips make a lazy trail down his neck.

There's a definite pause, but Jake's movements don't stop. Harry hears a quiet sigh before Jake asks, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Harry twitches slightly, his eyes flying open. "Why do you ask?" he asks, trying not to sound guilty. He's still trying to work up his courage to tell Jake he's pregnant and he doesn't know if he's there yet. He can't lie though...

Jake pauses for a moment. "Well," he says slowly, turning Harry around and shifting him so he's laying across his chest. "You looked a little shaken up before dinner. Draco and Joe..." he trails off, unsure how to finish the thought. He wasn't bothered seeing the two with Harry, it actually made him happy Harry had such devotion. He was only concerned as to _why_ they felt the need to do it.

"I'm fine," Harry assures him, kissing a line down Jake's jaw and neck, hoping to distract him so he doesn't have to continue.

Jake looks at him for awhile before sighing. "Fine, if you're sure?" he asks but Harry only nods since he does indeed feel fine. "Can I ask you something then? I know you wanted to wait until later..."

Harry grimaces, knowing what Jake has on his mind. He'd rather blurt out his news but Jake's eyes are intent on his so he just nods again, trying not to bite his lips or fidget with his hands.

"So." Jake pauses for a moment, unsure where to start. "Why would Natalie being left in a car..." he trails off, unsure how to finish again. Of course anyone would be upset about such a thing but Draco had made it sound like Harry would be especially upset about it, as if something similar had happened.

Harry sighs, and rests his cheek against Jake's chest. He doesn't want to have to look at Jake when he tells him and he needs the warmth. "I was left on my relative's doorstep when I was a little over a year old."

"Oh god," Jake whispers and wraps his arms around Harry. He didn't think people really did that sort of thing. So many things could happen to a poor little baby just left out there; who could do such a thing in good conscious?

Harry sighs. "Yeah," he mumbles. "The night my parents were killed... I was left on their doorstep for awhile. My aunt found me when she went to get the morning milk."

"When?" Jake chokes out.

Harry brows scrunch together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you said your parents were killed on Halloween." Jake feels Harry nod and his stomach clenches with anger and dread. "You're telling me they left a baby on a stoop in November? For hours?" he asks, visions of a shivering little baby Harry making his teeth clench. Maybe they used one of those warming charms...

He breathes slowly out of his nose, trying to calm himself, focusing on the warm feeling of Harry in his arms and his reassuring scent fulling his senses. Most of those people are gone and Harry obviously didn't freeze to death.

Harry shrugs slightly. "Yeah, they didn't have many options I guess."

"That's so fucked up," Jake whispers and buries his nose in Harry's hair for a long moment, just holding him. "I'm sorry."

Harry feels a small smile lifting his lips "It's alright," he says, running a hand along Jake's side, sighing when he feels Jake tense. "Well, it's not but nothing can change it now, so." He shrugs one shoulder, trying to show how little he let it bother him.

Jake grimaces, now unsure if he wants to know more. He's already feeling that cold sinking feeling in his stomach being replaced with hot anger. He can hear the echo of his wolf howling, enraged at the treatment of his mate.

"God, Harry, I want to know but I'm so fucking scared to know now."

"It's alright." Harry laughs before he can help it. "I know," he says, shifting to look at Jake. "Shall I continue?" he asks quietly, aware that Jake is curious only because he wants to know more about him. "There are things I haven't even told Draco or Hermione. I'm sure they've made a few educated guesses but I've not actually told them."

Jake leans back a bit, trying to see Harry better. "Really?"

"Yeah, Draco knows a bit about my childhood. Mostly because I blew up at him early in our friendship. The git was convinced I grew up like a prince in a palace," Harry grins at the memory.

Draco had firmly believed everything he'd heard from Snape, the rumors that floated around school, and whatever his father had rambled on about him. No one but Hermione and Ron knew the truth, and even then Harry hadn't told them the whole truth. Ron and his brothers seeing bars on his windows was bad enough and Harry didn't have to tell them more details.

"I apparated him to my aunt's house and that right there shut him up. It was a small little house. Barely the size of our shed, for Merlin's sake." Jake snorts with amusement; their 'shed' is the size of a small house. "I showed him my cupboard," he says as he lays back down, resting his cheek against Jake's chest again. "I hadn't even shown Hermione that."

The cupboard had a few of Harry's things stored inside, but one good look around made it clear a child had been in there. Harry had doodled on the walls with crayon, the markings never washed off no matter how many times his aunt had scrubbed.

Jake just lays quietly, rubbing his hands along Harry's back as he thinks. "How did they treat you?" he finally asks, dreading the answer when Harry stiffens and sighs. He can feel Harry's eyelashes flutter against his chest as his eyes close but thankfully there aren't any tears. He doesn't know what he'd do if Harry were to cry...

"They were horrid," Harry says quietly. "I did chores as early as I can remember. I cooked every meal for them," Harry adds. Jake's arms tighten around him and smiles softly, settling his hands over Jake's. He remembers burning the stool he had to use when he was 3 until he was about 8 so he could reach the stove.

"I'm not complaining having to do chores, you know? But this was... more than just chores. I was like their own personal house elf."

Jake grunts softly in response, having learned from Draco what a house elf was recently. While the idea of a helpful little creature was intriguing, Jake was rather glad they didn't have one.

"They didn't like sharing their meals with me. And there were dire consequences if I didn't do my chores properly."

Jake winces. "Like what?" he asks, closing his eyes.

He's struggling to hold onto his composure. He wants to jump up from the bed and hunt down the people that've hurt his Harry. He feels his wolf snarl and howl in agreement but he remains where he is, holding Harry instead. He wishes he'd never started this conversation.

"I'm sure you can guess," Harry says quietly.

He doesn't want to tell Jake, in detail, of what happened to him. His uncle got creative sometimes, using whatever was at hand. Harry almost missed the belt the first time his uncle's golf clubs were close by.

"My aunt never touched me, though." He isn't sure if he should mention that his aunt favored verbal and mental abuse, never deigning to actually soil her hands by touching him. He winces when he hears the grating sound of Jake grinding his teeth together.

Jake growls, not needing it spelled out for him. "Leaving who?" he asks, his tone hard and demanding.

"My uncle and cousin," Harry finally answers with a sigh of resignation.

He knows Jake would only keep asking until he knew. He'd ask Jake to let it go, but he knows it's probably not something that would be possible. He had only managed to keep Remus from storming over there by flat-out begging and making the man promise not to do anything for fear of him being thrown into Azkaban. There is no such threat against Jake and he's not sure why the idea of Jake harming his relatives doesn't bother him as much as it probably should.

"They both liked to teach me that everything about me was abnormal and freakish." He didn't know how either of the gargantuan men figured out his sexuality, but by the time he was 14 that was added to their rants and sneering lessons.

Jake hums thoughtfully, determined to ask Draco if he remembers the location of this house and he slowly breathes out his nose again, working to calm himself. "I think that's all I need to know," he finally says, squeezing Harry tightly, burying his face in Harry's neck. He's not surprised or embarrassed when he feels his eyes prickle sharply. He knows Harry doesn't want his pity and anything he could really say doesn't feel like it would be enough.

"I'm just glad I have you now," he finally says, sniffling quietly.

"You do," Harry assures him and kisses Jake softly. "I'm tired," he says with a yawn. "Sleep?"

Jake nods. He isn't all that tired but he sees the light shadows under Harry's eyes. It's going to be a long, busy day tomorrow and he's not going to be the one to keep Harry from sleeping. "'Night," he says softly and kisses Harry before settling more comfortably in bed, keeping Harry close.

Everything he's learned so far about his Harry just makes him that much happier he's found him. He fights a shudder; he doesn't want to think of where either of them would be otherwise.

"Night," Harry whispers, a quiet _Nox_ turning the lights out, and falling asleep almost as soon as he settles against Jake with a contented sigh.

~oOo~

Jake sits where Draco has dubbed 'the head table' (even though it was in the front corner of the tented area) staring at his hand. Well, more specifically his left ring finger. He runs the pad of his index finger along it, tracing the intricate golden pattern now permanently in his skin.

He angles his finger slightly, still unable to tell if it's just a tattoo or if the metal has somehow fused into his skin. As they'd ended their vows, the simple golden band on his finger glowed so brightly he wasn't even able to look at it, and he was left with the image he now sees. It looks like a tattoo, smooth and without any texture other than the slight metallic look to the markings. But when he touches it he can feel a faint hint of metal under the skin and a light tingle of magic.

It's absolutely stunning and he can't take his eyes off of it for long.

He's not all that sure what the symbols mean; Luna was the only one that seemed able to decipher them but she'd only clapped her hands happily and kissed his cheek instead of answering him. He'd have been rather pissed if he wasn't so fond of Luna. He traces the symbols and the swirling, masculine design between each rune. He wasn't at all surprised when all four of them had similar, though not identical, markings on their fingers.

He looks around, spotting Harry leading Luna in a dance on the dance floor. He can't help smiling; Luna is one of the few people Harry is taller than and it's obvious his husband is enjoying the energetic dance with his friend.

His smile grows; _husband_. He grins stupidly, enjoying how it sounds.

The ceremony itself had been rather short. He and Harry had gone first, chanting something in Latin that he didn't understand and a blinding golden light surrounded them. He had blushed furiously when it reminded him of the first time they'd made love. It seemed to have focused on their clasped hands resulting in the tattooed bands on each of their ring fingers.

Another thing that didn't surprise him at all was the nearly instantaneous erection and surge of lust as it happened. He mentally thanked Draco's insistence on robes and wondered if that was why they were traditionally worn.

He's rather relieved he doesn't have to worry about a ring, though. He never wore them when working on cars, since it's stupid and dangerous, and he dreaded the thought of forgetting it at any point.

The wizard that bonded them seemed genuinely pleased to marry them, offering sincere handshakes and congratulations as soon as the ceremony had ended. Once each couple had signed a marriage certificate, Harry and Draco tapping the paper with their wands instead of using a pen, the little man had left moments after posing for a quick picture with the newlyweds.

He didn't need to witness the signatures of all their witnesses, just two of them. Jake had gaped subtly (well, his mouth had opened but he thankfully didn't make that "Guh!" sound) when the certificate had magically copied three times, one winking out a glittery puff to wherever it was to be filed.

Jake grins as he catches sight of one of the photographers. The wedding pictures are a mix of Muggle and wizarding photos. Both photographers orbiting around each other, sniping and bitching at each other on numerous occasions and fighting to give direction to both couples. His face still ached a bit from all the smiling and he's looking forward to seeing the pictures.

He's vaguely aware his knee is twitching and bouncing, his fingers tapping a tuneless cadence on the table. He hasn't been able to sit still since the ceremony, feeling full of a strange, jittery energy and he's not sure how to get rid of it. Harry had swayed, dangerously close to looking he was going to pass out for a heart-stopping moment before he righted himself with an embarrassed smile. Jake had followed him for over 10 minutes before Harry had snapped he was fine and getting pulled into the crowds of well-wishers.

Jake sighs as he watches Harry now dancing with a smug looking Pansy. His looks to where Draco is having a dance with George Weasley of all people. Pretty much everyone is out on the dance floor, dancing in either established couples or pairing off with friends. He smiles as he catches Seth swaying out of rhythm as he holds Gloria in an almost inappropriate embrace.

A quiet chuckle escapes as he spies Teddy and Natalie doing a fairly good break-dancing routine in the corner of the dance floor with Emmett and Jasper clapping and cheering them on.

"We should go for a run," Joe says from behind Jake, startling Jake out of his people watching and making him jump.

Jake turns, looking up at Joe. "Huh?"

"A run," Joe repeats with a smirk and gives Jake's twitching leg a pointed look. "We should go for a run. Get rid of some of the excess energy," he adds as he hops around a little in place, rolling his shoulders.

Jake nearly smacks himself on the forehead. "Oh." Why didn't he think of that? He looks around to find Harry and sees him laughing and dancing with Alice, the little vampire leading Harry around as easily as a small child, his husband perched on her toes.

He hopes one of the photographers gets a picture of that.

"I'd recommend grabbing Harry but he looks rather busy at the moment." Joe chuckles. He's been chasing Draco for the last hour but his blonde actually slapped him away, not wanting to sneak away until he was sufficiently paid attention to by every guest. "I've not been lucky either. So. Maybe a run would help? I'm just as keyed up, man."

Reluctantly, Jake looks away from his husband and looks at Joe. "Why is that?" he asks, his eyes flicking back towards Harry occasionally. "Harry and Draco don't seem all that... twitchy."

He'd only got rid of the very uncomfortable hard-on 10 minutes ago. The magic during their bonding had been the strongest he's ever felt before. It's probably a good thing their husbands have ditched them, in a manner of speaking, or they'd've missed their reception.

"I dunno," Joe says with a shrug. "It wasn't right away for me, it built gradually." He grins when Jake nods in agreement. "Weird shit," Joe finally says rubbing his chin. "We need to find something to do, fast. My eyeballs feel like they're gonna vibrate outta my skull," he says with a shaky laugh as he blinks rapidly. He had almost asked Emmett for a wrestling match but the vampire is throwing Rosalie around the dance floor and he hates to interrupt.

Jake nods. "Yeah, alright," he says as he hops up. He looks around but there isn't anyone close by for him to let them know they're leaving for a moment. "We've got like an hour?" Joe nods. "Alright, lets go." He ducks out of the rear flap of the white tent and as soon as they hit the trees, he carefully removes his formal robes. He sticks his tongue out when Joe snorts a laugh at him when he carefully folds it. "What? I don't want to look like I just threw it on the ground."

"No, no, I agree," Joe says, folding his own robes. Draco would rant and rave for who knows how long if he didn't take care of his robes either. He almost wishes he didn't know that Draco even folded his underwear but respect for his clothes is one of the many quirky things he adores about his husband. "Race ya!" he shouts just before he phases and takes off into the dense woods.

Jake is quick to follow. "Hey!" he calls with a laugh, phasing quickly and giving chase.

Neither wolf is able to keep track of time, so they just run until they feel less twitchy. _Any idea how long we been out here?_ Jake asks Joe, giving him a glance as they run through the woods.

 _Not a clue,_ Joe says happily. _I don't exactly have a watch and my phone is in my robes._ He looks up, the sky not at all helpful. He wonders if he should learn how to tell the time by the sun.

_Shit, then we should head back._

_Yeah, alright. I hope we weren't missed,_ Joe adds, hoping Draco didn't notice his absence. They're leaving for their honeymoon and he doesn't want to start it with an annoyed husband. He grins, a happy yip coming from him.

 _What?_ Jake asks, amused. He's pretty sure it had to do with Draco but he (thankfully) only saw a brief flash of pale blonde hair go through Joe's mind.

 _Nothing, just... thinking about my husband,_ Joe says, warmth and happiness flooding through him and easily into Jake.

Jake laughs, nodding as they slow to a jogging walk. _I know, right?_ He pauses and looks at Joe before glancing down at his paw. He's surprised to see the golden band tattooed around one toe, just visible through the fur. _Almost seems unreal sometimes..._

 _I know, but it's real, man._ Joe grins, nudging Jake playfully with his muzzle. _God, I'm still jittery,_ Joe sulks, twitching his tail with agitation, as they make their way back to where they'd left their robes. _But it's not as bad as before. You?_ he asks, looking over at Jake.

Jake phases before he shrugs. "Not as bad, but still jittery, yeah." He rolls his shoulders and bounces in place a few times. He could have probably run around for another few hours.

Joe smirks, slipping his robes back on as soon as he has phased as well. "I do hope Draco is well rested." He's glad he's no longer a wolf, he doesn't really want to subject poor Jake to the many lewd thoughts and very vivid images that have just popped into his mind.

Jake laughs and nods before he can stop himself. "Oh, uh, yeah," he says, coughing lightly. If he's still feeling overstuffed with energy later, Harry won't be leaving the bed for awhile. He doesn't say it out loud but he's aware Joe is thinking along the same lines as he buttons up his robes.

"I wonder if it's a normal side-effect..." Jake absently wonders, pulling his hem up to finish the buttons. He'd made the casual suggestion of snaps and the glares he got from Draco and the vampires made him slink back out of the room. It would be so much easier, though! The buttons are tiny and there are way too many of them.

Joe shrugs. "No idea. I didn't get a chance to ask. The guy that did the wand waving thing split right after we were done. And Draco disappeared soon after to _mingle_ ," he says with a sigh. He doesn't want to mingle and he's slightly put out Draco feels it's more important to mingle with people than spend time with him.

"He's got you forever, man." Jake says, bumping Joe's shoulder with his, reading Joe's expression. "He's one of those social people, he's gonna wanna take advantage of the attention."

Joe's brows scrunch together. "I know, but still. I suppose it's for the best. I probably wouldn't have gone running otherwise..."

"Exactly," Jake says and slaps him on the back. They duck back into the tent and sit back down at their table, both draining their glasses as soon as they sit.

Harry slowly sits down next to Jake. "Where were you?" he asks, wringing his hands nervously. He'd finished his dance with Fred awhile ago and looked for Jake but couldn't find him. He'd barely kept himself from panicking by letting Luna drag him into a very informative conversation about the elusive, and nearly infamous, Nargles. He'd spent most of the conversation mentally berating himself and convincing himself that his feelings were only from an annoying cocktail of hormones.

"Took a run," Jake says absently, not looking at Harry. He doesn't see the nervous hand wringing or the shiny eyes of his husband. He's looking for the annoying waiters Esme hired at the last minute that were supposed to be circulating with hors d'oeuvres. He can so maul an entire tray of those shrimp things right about now.

Harry looks at Jake, wondering why he's not paying attention and sighs. "Oh," he says quietly and shifts away in his seat. "Thanks for coming back," he whispers.

"Huh?" Jake turns to look at Harry. He gapes stupidly for a moment as he takes in the sight of him. He doesn't know why Harry's nervously twisting his hands in his robes and looking like he's fighting tears. "What's the matter?" he asks, scootching his chair closer to Harry's, shrimp mauling and annoying waiters completely out of his mind. He frowns when Harry shifts away. "Why wouldn't I come back?"

Harry looks away, trying to get himself under control. He closes his eyes when he feels Jake pull him closer, almost into his lap. He can't explain the momentary flash of insecurity that had flooded him moments ago even if he tries. He barely understands it himself.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Liar," Jake snorts and pulls Harry all the way into his lap, nodding once in acknowledgement to Joe when he gets up to leave them alone. "You're not _fine_. You look ready to cry, babe," he murmurs and nuzzles his nose into Harry's neck. It's definitely throwing him but he's more interested in soothing than the why.

He smiles when Harry sags into him with a shuddering sigh. "I feel like there's a battery up my ass, so I had to try to run off some of the extra energy," he explains, lightly kissing the side of Harry's neck.

Harry nods blankly; that makes sense. "Oh," he breathes, already calling himself all sorts of names. They'd only been bonded for hours and he's already being unreasonable. "I should have warned you that might happen," he mutters, biting his lip as Jake's hands slide down his sides to circle his hips and pulling him closer to Jake's body.

"Oh Merlin," he breathes, closing his eyes when he feels Jake's arousal press against his arse. Immediately, many ideas come to mind of how he can help Jake get rid of the excess energy.

"Mmm, a heads up would have been nice," Jake murmurs, undoing a few buttons and sliding a hand into Harry's robes to brush against his stomach. He grins when he feels Harry twitch and wiggle slightly.

Harry gasps softly, fighting the urge to squirm away. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, distracted by Jake's hands whispering over his nipples, otherwise he probably would have started blubbering apologies.

He jerks, barely stifling a moan; he groans softly, realizing he's more sensitive than normal. He hopes Jake hasn't noticed, but he's immediately aware Jake has indeed noticed when he feels a smile against his neck and Jake continue with purpose. He shudders with pleasure when Jake's thumbs circle his hardened nipples, sending a jolt of pleasure right to his cock.

"Hmm... You like that, huh?" Jake whispers, ghosting a kiss just under Harry's ear and wonders if Harry's extra sensitivity is a side effect of the bonding as well. "How long will this last?"

Harry sucks in a breath, his body tingling and his brain barely keeping up with the conversation. "What?" he breathes, arching into Jake's touch as fingers flutter over his chest and stomach. He fights the urge to squirm again but for different reasons this time. Jake is quickly driving him crazy and one squirm would probably have them shocking their guests in short order.

"This over-sensitivity."

Harry shrugs. "I don't know," he answers honestly. Nothing he read had any definitive answers. "Maybe a few months," he mumbles, tilting his head so he can nip and kiss along Jake's jaw as he slides his hand up into Jake's hair.

"Months?" Jake nearly squeaks, hands stilling. "Are you serious?" he feels Harry nod and he groans softly. "You _really_ should have warned me the bonding effects would lasts months," he mutters. He's not sure he'll survive feeling like this for _months_...

Harry jerks, blinking owlishly. "Huh?" he asks. Oh. _Shit_. "No, I meant— Me... would be months."

"What?" Jake turns Harry fully in his lap and looks at him closely. "Why? Because you're a wizard and I'm not?" he asks, genuinely curiosity.

Harry suppresses a groan and the urge to smack his head against the table. Repeatedly. "No," he mutters and hides his face in Jake's neck. He groans and forces himself to look up at Jake. He can't think of any way out of telling Jake now, not after what he had just said without thinking. He'd curse himself, or Jake's skilled hands, if he didn't feel a bit of relief at finally being able to tell.

"No, because I'm pregnant and you're not."

Jake just sits for a long moment, going very still and blinking rapidly as his chest starts to move faster and faster. He feels exactly the same as the time he had fallen out of the tree in his backyard: breathless, dizzy and feeling like he was going to pass out. Slowly, a warm, fidgety feeling invades his chest and everything goes brighter but quiet as he hears blood thundering in his ears.

"What?" he finally whispers, wrapping his arms tightly around Harry in an insane rush of giddy happiness before he lets go with a jerk, fearing he'd squish and hurt Harry, and stares down at Harry's stomach. "Oh my god, you're serious."

Harry chokes back a laugh, sure this isn't the time to joke about not being 'Sirius' and just nods slowly.

"Are you sure?" Jake asks, sounding breathless. Harry nods slowly again and Jake doesn't hold back from wrapping his arms around Harry this time, any thoughts of squishing his husband (his _pregnant_ husband!) apparently lost in his elation. "Oh fuck, this is amazing. Miraculous. Astonishing. Wonderful. Wow," he babbles excitedly, his gaze on Harry's stomach again, his hand sliding down to touch. "How?"

Harry smirks as he places his hands over Jake's. "Well, Jake, when two people love each other—"

Jake laughs and kisses Harry, shutting him up before he can finish. "Oh shut up, wise ass. Wow," he says again, rubbing small circles over Harry's belly. "I meant how did it happen? We didn't, you know..." he trails off, unsure what exactly they would have had to do.

He's sure Harry hadn't been acting in the near manic way like he had before or he would have made sure he had plenty of condoms on his person at all times. God, they've been going at it like rabbits recently.

He looks at Harry, excitement clear in his eyes. "You're okay with this?" he finally asks, trying to fight away the panic and despair that wants to strangle him that Harry won't be, even though he's sure Harry looks happy—cautious, but happy—about the news. Harry had always seemed reluctant when they talked about starting a family. With the bit he'd learned about his childhood, he's not all that surprised.

"Yes." Harry slowly nods again. "Very," he says when he can finally get his throat to work. Jake looks so happy, he's nearly embarrassed he'd been so worried. His breath catches for a moment as euphoric relief surges through him. "And I'm not all that sure how it happened. Exactly. Apparently, my magic... Well, I rather misunderstood quite a bit," he says with an embarrassed grin.

Jake laughs and snuggles Harry closer to his chest. "Well, yay magic," he says happily and kisses Harry gently. "I know the timing ain't exactly perfect, but I really couldn't be happier," he says looking at Harry intently, willing him to believe him. He sees Harry smile and nod.

"Who else knows?" he asks, remembering the session Harry had with Hermione and Draco yesterday. The way Joe and Draco had surrounded him protectively makes complete sense and he's not sure if he should be irritated or not since he didn't know why they felt the need to protect Harry. Surely not from him... He lets it go for now, though.

Harry runs his teeth along his top lip. "Hermione, Draco, and Joe... Maybe Luna, not that I told her but she just knows things."

Jake nods, expecting the answers. "I'm not upset, you know, so please don't keep looking like you're ready for me to yell," he says quietly.

"Alright, yeah, no, I know you aren't going to yell, love," Harry says with a small smile.

Jake nods and hums in agreement. "Oh! I gotta tell my dad and Leah. And Seth! Shit, I gotta tell everyone!" he says happily, suddenly feeling the urge to gush and preen. He sits up and looks around the tent excitedly.

"If you must," Harry says, fighting a smile.

Jake stares, eyes still wide. "Is that okay?" he asks after a minute. "Is it too soon?" he nearly whispers.

Most people wait a few months before they announced they're expecting but he's sure he'd explode if he had to wait _that_ long. He chews the inside of his cheek, worried that Harry might be at a big risk; he just doesn't know. He makes a mental note to read the books Harry has and find the number for that healer.

"Yes and I don't know," Harry says with a grin. "I had the same worries," he says quietly, cupping Jake's cheek and rubbing a thumb over a smooth cheekbone. "Draco assured me my magic will protect Junior here," he says, rubbing a hand over his belly with a smile.

Jake's hand joins Harry's and he beams happily. "Wow," he says again. "Oh! Do we know which it is yet?" he asks excitedly. He doesn't care if its a girl or boy, not really since they're going to have more than one if he's got any say in the matter.

"No," Harry chuckles, feeling warm and happy at the 'we' and shakes Jake gently. "I haven't found out yet. I don't even know when you can tell."

Jake looks up, his face blanking slightly as he tries to remember a text book. "I guess pretty quickly, but usually you have to wait for... uh, parts to see," he says, waving a hand vaguely. "Ultrasounds usually can't tell until like the fourth month and that's if the kid doesn't hide their junk," he says, trying to remember the Human Reproductive notes in health class.

He hadn't paid a lot of attention, the strange alien looking illustrations of reproductive organs drawing nearly all of his horrified attention.

"Wow!" Harry blinks up at Jake and grins. "You smarty pants!" he says and runs his hands over Jake's chest. "Well in that case, I'll see what I can find out when we get back, yeah?"

He wonders if healers have specialties like Muggle doctors of the one that Remus found would be sufficient. He doesn't trust himself to try to perform any of the more complicated spells and Jake would undoubtedly feel better about seeing a professional instead of allowing Draco to wave his wand about.

Jake shrugs? "I don't honestly care, but yeah, as soon as we get back you're seeing someone. You know, make sure things are all good," he says, trying to sound firm but not expecting Harry to argue as he rubs his nose against Harry's affectionately.

He smiles when he sees Harry's eyes get bright again. "I'm going to have to get used to that, huh?" he says and wipes the single tear off of Harry's cheek that escapes when he smiles back at Jake.

"I think so," Harry says with a deep sigh, truly annoyed with his traitorous hormones.

Jake hums happily. "Excellent," he says without a hint of sarcasm. "I also offer my services now to any unholy craving you have and unending massage services."

Harry laughs and just kisses Jake hard, relief and happiness making his stomach flip pleasantly. He grins when Draco and Joe sit down next to them. "I told him," he says with a happy smile.

Joe nods and slaps Jake on the back, "Congrats, man," he offers sincerely, trying not to sound jealous. He glances at Draco and hopes he didn't imagine a similar look cross his face as well. He nods at Harry, a soft smile on his face. "And you, as well."

"Thanks." Jake nods with a large dopey smile. "So, where are you guys going on your honeymoon?" he asks, pulling himself away from Harry's neck.

Joe shrugs. "I'm not really all that sure," he says, glancing at Draco for the answer. He doesn't even know if they're going anywhere. Draco's impish grin makes him raise an eyebrow and shift slightly in his seat as his hard-on made a swift reappearance. Damn his Draco and his sexy mouth!

Harry pulls a long envelope from his robes with a flourish. "Perfect timing. I wanted to get you guys something but... well, I had no idea what you'd possibly need so I got this." He holds the envelope out towards the other couple. "Enjoy!"

Draco snatches the envelope from Harry and tears it open. His mouth drops open and he makes a shocked squeak, ignoring the trio of snickers at his expense. "Holy fucking— Harry!" he says and eagerly fans the numerous plane tickets out and reads through the legal sized paper. "Wow."

He shoves the paper towards Joe. "He's... he's sending us around the world!" He leans around Jake and crushes Harry in a brief, tight hug. He grins when Jake growls softly and leans back with a wink. He should probably feel threatened, not amused, but Jake is just too adorable in his Protective Alpha Wolf mode.

"What?" Joe pulls the paper closer and reads. Paris. London. Thailand. Japan. "That's... wow," he breathes as he reads. He's never heard of some of the places they're set to go but he's excited. They're going to be busy for the three weeks they've allotted, but thankfully not so busy they can't relax and enjoy themselves—or each other.

He slowly looks up at a nervous Harry and grins. "Thank you. This is... well, too much but I ain't saying no." He laughs when Harry's shoulders sag with relief. "I don't have a passport," he mutters to himself as he looks at all the destinations.

Harry chuckles nervously. "I er, took care of that too," he says with a shy smile. "They're not real but they'll do..." he says, rather proud of his conjuring skills. He'd shown them to Billy and gotten a respectful nod that they looked genuine.

"Wonderful!" Draco grins and pulls the forged passports from the envelope. "Ah, the joys of being a wizard," he says as he thumbs through the books. He glances at the plane tickets with nervous anticipation. He's never been on a Muggle airplane before. "Did you have to go with an airplane, Potter?" he asks, trying to sound annoyed and not apprehensive.

Harry laughs and nods. "I did. You've never been on one and well, it's just the way you're supposed to do it. Jet set across the world, yeah?"

Draco slowly nods, still unsure. "But I swear, if something happens, I am not thinking twice about grabbing Joe's arse and apparating out of that thing."

Joe laughs but he knows Draco is completely serious. "Thanks, love," he says and kisses Draco briefly, strangely thrilled and touched. "When do we go?" he asks, glancing at the tickets. There are way too many numbers on them, he doesn't care to sort out times and dates just yet.

"About an hour," Harry says with a grin. "I arranged a limo to pick you up."

Draco looks between the three other men. "A limo?" he asks before glaring at Harry uncertainly. The bastard knows full well he hasn't a clue what a limo is. Merlin help the speccy git if it's some kind of smaller airplane...

"Yeah, a big long fancy car important, rich Muggles use," Jake says with a smirk, explaining in deliberate terms to placate Draco.

Draco visibly perks up. "Oh, well that's fine then," he allows with a slight lift of his chin. A limo sounds perfect for him then. He glances at his watch. A hour will have them leaving at the end of the reception. He jumps up, "Oh! I've got to say goodbye to some people then!" he hurries off without waiting for an answer and searches the small crowd for Blaise, Pansy and Greg. He'll find the others but he's eager to find them first.

"This is really nice, thanks Harry," Joe says watching Draco disappear into the crowd. No doubt searching for Blair and Pansy. "So, what about you two?"

Harry laughs and pokes Jake, prodding him to be the one to tell. "Yes, love, where are we going?" He'd shown Jake their tickets about an hour ago, his face a mask of calm just in case but it wasn't necessary when Jake whooped happily and twirled Harry around.

Jake groans softly, feeling his cheeks heat. "I wanted to go to Disney World," he mutters, glaring at Joe when his friend starts laughing. "What? I've never been and Harry didn't care."

Harry chuckles. "I don't, as long as we're together," he agrees, kissing Jake's cheek. "Sounds like fun!" He's only slightly concerned with how he'll react to the very large, garish cartoon characters that wander the attraction. They were quite cute in movies and he hopes it's still true when they're standing in front of you, in larger-than-life reality. He knows they're costumes, but it's still rather unsettling.

"That the one in Florida?" Joe asks, amusement clear on his face and in his voice. He actually wanted to go too, but he'd kind of grown out of the wish years ago. Florida sounds like a nice place to visit, though; who wouldn't enjoy the sun and warmth?

Jake shrugs. "Uh, yeah?" he asks, unsure and looks at Harry for confirmation.

"Yeah," Harry agrees. "We're going to all of them. Well, not all of them... but they've got ones in California and Paris. We're going there!" he says happily. "Draco didn't tell you?" He'd been shocked when Draco demanded to know where they were going so he could pay for it. He'd been even more surprised when Draco hadn't even hinted at Harry returning the favor, even though Harry had already made the plans.

"No, I guess he wanted to make it a surprise like you did," Joe says, not at all bothered. He still phases into a wolf and it isn't a guarantee he can keep things from Jake, even if he is getting better at blocking most things. "Sounds like fun."

~oOo~

Joe winds his way through the crowd, searching for Draco. He smiles when he sees Luna attached to Draco's lower body in a tight hug. Hermione is looking on with amusement, a hand patting Draco's shoulder.

"Hey, love, we've gotta go. The limo will be here in five minutes," Joe says, carefully prying Luna's arms off of his Draco. "Did you make the rounds?" he asks, bending over to hug Luna, smiling as he stands upright again. He gives Hermione a quick hug as well, murmuring what he hopes is an appropriate good-bye and thanks for everything. He wiggles his fingers in a cheeky wave when Luna skips off, dragging a indulgently smiling Hermione behind her.

Draco nods, leaning against Joe, relieved to be free from Luna. He nearly loved the blonde little witch but she is surprisingly strong. He idly rubs his ribs, sure she was going to squeeze him to death if he'd endured another moment of her hug.

"I have. I nearly missed saying goodbye to Leah," he says with a smirk. Thankfully he'd caught her before her and Neville's activities got too involved and they'd shared a surprisingly warm group hug. He tried not to get too sappy since he was sure they'd be right there when they got back.

"Oh, ew!" Joe laughs, decoding Draco's smirk. He did not want to know about Leah's sexual habits. "Well good. Wow, so you went around to _everyone_?" He hadn't honestly expected Draco to hunt down his fellow pack members, even if they were fond of each other. They weren't going to be gone _that_ long.

Draco nods stiffly. "Yes," he says, sniffing as he crosses his arms and lifts his chin defiantly. "Many of them won't be here when we get back." He'd even said goodbye to Remus, Teddy and Nigel. They didn't spend a lot of time together but he was glad to have gotten to know the older werewolf better. He is going to miss Teddy more than he'd like to admit; he'd eagerly agreed to frequent visits from Teddy and vowed to keep the boy's room as it was. "Oh! I've got to pack!" He hurries away from Joe, headed towards the house.

Joe sighs and finds an empty chair. There is no way he's going to help Draco pack, unwilling to incur Draco's annoyance, but he's feeling slightly put out he's had a grand total of 20 minutes alone with his husband since they'd stood together and gotten married and bonded. It's all well and good to say they had forever, but he wants his Draco; _now_. He turns with a smile when Harry sits down next to him with a quiet huff and stretches his legs out stiffly in front of himself.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you about the energy thing," Harry says, trying not to fidget nervously. "I completely forgot about it. Not to mention, it really can vary. Most wizards aren't affected that strongly."

Joe hums thoughtfully. "It's cool. Draco didn't say anything either." A slow, rather dirty smile grows on his face, making Harry laugh softly. "I'll just have to put it to good use." He allows the dirty thoughts for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "So, when are you guys going?"

"Tomorrow," Harry says, idly playing with the sleeve of his robes. "I couldn't just leave all this," he waves a hand around the yard, "for others to clean up. Besides, I'm not nearly as excitable. I can wait."

Joe laughs, well aware he's speaking of Draco. "That's true. Really, though, thanks a lot for this." He grins at Harry's shy smile as he inclines his head in acknowledgement. "I couldn't have been able to do something like that myself anytime soon." He doesn't feel as bad about it as he thought he would. He would give Draco anything, even if he didn't require much from him.

"You alright?" he asks, gaze flicking to Harry's nervously fidgeting fingers and wondering why Harry looks so anxious since Jake is over the moon about the pregnancy.

"Yeah." Harry sighs. "But... are you alright with... me?"

Joe looks over, raising a surprised eyebrow at Harry's soft, uncertain tone. "Of course, man. We're good," he says, slightly confused.

"No, I mean..." Harry huffs and looks pointedly at his stomach. He didn't miss the strange looks the other man gave when he thought Harry wasn't looking, he just doesn't know what they mean. He fiddles with his robe again, nervous that things are going to be strained. Not only is Joe Jake's best mate and Beta, he likes him a lot as a friend as well. He couldn't stand if something got between them all.

Joe sighs, trying not to show his jealousy. He is happy for them both and it's easy enough to smile at Harry. "Oh, yeah. That," he finally says. "Look, it's nothing to do with you being pregnant. I knew it could happen, and I'm really thrilled for you guys."

"So what is it?" Harry asks, looking at Joe earnestly. "You keep... I don't know— Looking at me oddly."

Joe flushes and ducks his head slightly. He hadn't meant for Harry to notice. He feels a sharp zing of panic and hopes Jake hasn't noticed. He'd be really pissed off, especially since it's making Harry unsure of himself. "I don't mean to..." he mumbles and rubs the back of his neck. "Honestly, I'm just a little jealous, that's all." He peeks a look at Harry, relieved he doesn't look angry. "I know it wasn't something you guys planned on, so it's not like you could have warned me about it."

"Oh," Harry says quietly. He didn't think of that. "Have you guys talked about it?"

Joe shrugs and tries not to look uncomfortable or annoyed. "No, not at all. Not since I knew it was possible." He pauses and looks at Harry carefully, unsure he should be asking the other man what's on his mind. Draco might be annoyed...

"Does Draco... does he not want kids?"

"Oh." Harry blinks and leans back in his chair. "I don't know. We've never really talked about it. He knew I did but he didn't share his feelings on the matter. I wouldn't be surprised if he does, though. You've seen him with Teddy and Natalie..." Joe nods, a small smile growing on his face. "He had a really strict upbringing," he adds quietly. Even if Draco hasn't said, Harry is sure his friend is wary about how to be a parent, and worried he'd be like his own. A mini-Draco sounds too adorable for words.

Joe nods slowly. "I suppose I should just stop being a pussy about it and ask him then," he says with a grin.

"Well, yeah," Harry says with a laugh. "If it's something you want." He smiles when Joe nods. "You definitely should. Maybe not now, but soon." He sighs and rubs his hands down his thighs, wiping the dampness off. "I'm glad you aren't... you know... pissed at me or anything."

Joe chuckles, throwing an arm around Harry's shoulders briefly. "Nah, it would be really hard for me to get pissed at you. I'm too fucking mellow and you're just too likeable."

"Sure, sure," Harry snorts, relieved nonetheless.

"Why would I be pissed, anyway?" Joe asks, genuinely curious. It isn't often he saw this side to Harry and he isn't sure how to handle it.

Harry tries not to fidget. "I don't know..." he says. "I still have some problems, you know, relating to people?" Joe nods, trying to keep the scowl off his face at the reminder. "So, I still have moments of horribly inappropriate insecurity. I guess I was worried you'd be angry at me for it. I don't know why I thought that, I just did."

"Nah," Joe laughs quietly and wraps an arm around Harry's shoulders again, giving him a quick reassuring squeeze. "Like I said, I couldn't really get mad at ya. I'm really happy for you guys. It's... Well, Jake is going to be nearly impossible to deal with now," he laments with a mock pout.

Harry beams proudly. "I can only imagine," he says with a smile.

They both turn as headlights light up the yard and a quick series of toots of a car's horn is heard. Draco is down and headed towards the pair in a quick, yet graceful and refined, speed walk.

"I've packed. Does the limo man get them?" Draco asks, looking between the two. He raises an eyebrow at the arm around Harry's shoulders but doesn't comment.

Joe laughs and shakes his head. "He can, sure. I bet that's part of the full 'Limo man' experience," he says brightly and gets to his feet. He pulls Draco into a quick but thorough kiss, nipping his bottom lip as he pulls back. "Am I to assume you packed for me as well?"

"I did," Draco sniffs, feigning a put upon air, but his cheeks pink lightly. "I couldn't have you bringing something ghastly, love."

He hadn't even realized he was packing Joe's things until he was half-way done. While he preferred finer clothes for himself, even Muggle ones, and he griped out loud about Joe's causal wardrobe he actually loved seeing Joe in jeans, no matter the occasion. He packed accordingly, of course.

Joe smiles his thanks, winking when his Draco smiles back. "Ah, well thank you all the same. Ready?" he asks, twining their fingers together. He's already anxious to get his husband alone in the limo. Those things had comfy seats. And driver partitions.

"Yes," Draco says with a smile, gently shaking Joe's hand out of his. He steps to Harry and envelops him in a tight hug again. "Thank you and enjoy yourself too, yeah?" he says softly, chuckling when Harry sniffles and nods emphatically. He steps back and ruffles Harry's messy hair. "Right then. I only missed Billy, I have no idea where the bugger is hiding! So, let him know I said bye?"

Harry nods, sniffling wetly and trying to get himself under control. He knows they're coming back, for Merlin's sake! "I will," he promises with a watery smile. He looks around, wishing Jake was standing with him. "Have fun."

"We will!" Joe clasps Draco's hand again and starts pulling him towards the front of the house, angling for the driveway. "You as well!" he calls over his shoulder, eager to get going. If they dawdled too much longer, they'll risk missing their flight. He shifts his grip from Draco's hand to his waist, and hugs him close as they quickly walk towards the waiting limo.

Draco sighs and looks up at Joe with a smile. "As much as I love our friends and family, I can't _wait_ to be alone with you." He laughs when Joe just sends him a heated look. "I bet you could nail through a board right now," he smirks.

"Shut up!" Joe whines playfully. "It's not funny, Draco! You kept running off and hiding and I've had to deal with this—" he waves at his crotch with his free hand, "all by myself. Well, Jake helped a little."

Draco pauses momentarily. "Jake _helped_?" he asks, one eyebrow raised dangerously.

"Yeah," Joe says with a smirk. "I needed to get rid of some of this excess energy."

Draco hums thoughtfully. "And how did we do that?" he asks, his tone slightly icy. No, he's very sure Joe isn't suggesting anything like what he's thinking but he's annoyed nonetheless Joe would even imply it.

"We went for a run. As wolves. Helped a little," Joe says with a shrug and bends slightly to kiss the tip of Draco's wrinkled nose. "C'mon, hop in. I'll let the 'limo man' know to get our stuff," he says with a chuckle.

Draco smirks and waits for Joe to open his door, even if he rolls his eyes as he does so. He looks around the limo, impressed at the opulence. He runs his hand over the butter-soft leather seats. He spots a TV, a sizable bar—complete with a chilling bottle of champagne—and more seats than they possibly need. The limo could fit a dozen people and still have room. He glances up at the driver's seat, thrilled it's so far away. Not that he'd care how close the man was...

Joe slides in next to Draco, grinning like a fool. "All set!" he announces, sliding closer. He waits until the driver gets and leans forward to warn the guy to close the partition. As soon as they start moving he slides back next to Draco, sliding his blonde onto his lap with ease.

"It's an hour to the airport," he informs Draco, nuzzling behind his ear.

"I suppose we can work with an hour," Draco murmurs, sliding a hand up Joe's neck and burying it in shaggy hair when Joe's head dips to nip and kiss his neck. He briefly glances at the partition and grins when he realizes the driver can't see anything at all. "Genius," he muses.

Joe looks up at Draco. "Hmm?" he hums distractedly, pulling back and pours them both some champagne. He's never had it before but he's sure this is the perfect occasion to have some. Plus, it's already there and ready. He hands Draco his flute and clinks their glasses together.

"The driver blocking device," Draco says, pointing a finger off the champagne flute towards the front of the limo. "Handy, that." He takes a long swallow of the cool champagne, sighing with pleasure as the bubbles pop on his tongue. "S'good," he hums, surprised Muggle champagne actually palatable.

Joe nods, gaze on Draco's mouth, watching intently as a pink tongue slides out to catch a stray drop of champagne. "Yeah," he breathes, finishing his champagne just so he doesn't have to worry about spilling it. He doesn't think it's anything special but he didn't want to waste it, either.

He doesn't realize his leg is twitching until Draco's warm hand covers his knee and presses down.

"You alright?" Draco asks, a little concerned. He drinks the rest of his champagne and tosses the glass, feeling like a Muggle celebrity. It doesn't break, just lands on the limo's plush carpet with a soft sound.

Joe's fingers tap quickly against his leg. "Hmm? Yeah, no, I'm good. Just twitchy," he answers before pulling Draco close to him again, settling him on his lap, facing him. "I've been buzzing with this weird energy since the ceremony."

"Oh," Draco says, feeling breathless at the heated look on Joe's face and the hot hand slowly sliding down his back to palm his arse. "I should help with that."

Joe grins. "Yes, yes you should," he agrees and pulls Draco in for a heated kiss with a hand on the back of his neck, fingers tight in Draco's hair. "Fuck," he breathes against Draco's lips, licking across them when they part.

"Yes," Draco groans in agreement. "Fuck indeed." He chuckles when Joe groans softly and pushes him onto his back with a quick twisting motion. He's pressed against the large seat and Joe quickly starts fumbling with the many buttons on his robes.

Joe leans back a bit. "Fuck," he hisses with annoyance at all the tiny buttons. He's tempted to just rip the damn thing open. He glares when Draco laughs delightedly but it soon drops into a glazed, lusty look when Draco's wand is in his hand, drawing a line down the buttons and undoing them magically. His hips twitch violently, pressing their erections together. His eyes close with the powerful surge of lust and energy that makes him shudder.

He impatiently shoves the robes away from Draco's body and slides his hands up and down his sides and chest, enjoying the way Draco's pale skin flushes and breaks into goosebumps.

Draco hums languidly, stretching his arms up to settle more comfortably on the seat. His back arches when hot hands slide down his hips and thighs. He should probably care he's about to be ravished in the backseat of a limo, but he can't bring himself to work up the required feelings as pleasure sizzles through his body.

He moans when Joe's head dips and his hot mouth wraps around his cock. He wants to look, he loves watching, but his head flops back against the seat with a loud moan when Joe's head bobs and his tongue goes that _thing_. His body buzzes with pleasure with each flick and lick.

"Get these off," Draco demands, pushing at the fabric on Joe's shoulders impatiently. He wants to feel Joe's hot skin pressed against him.

Joe nods but doesn't release Draco's cock from his mouth. One the upstroke, he fumbles with the rest of the buttons, barely restraining the urge to just rip them off, still aware enough to know he'll need something to wear when they get out of the limo. He regretfully pulls off of Draco with a slick, obscene, wet sound and removes his robes in rushed, jerky movements.

The moment he's free, he leans over and pushes Draco's thighs apart and up as best he can in the confined space, settling one leg along the back of the seat. He kisses the delicate inner skin before focusing back on Draco's cock.

Draco grabs his wand again, before his mind gets too muddled with pleasure, and whispers a lubricating spell and a stretching charm. He laughs breathlessly, both at Joe's reaction to _another_ burst of magic and the strange feeling of the rarely used charm. Joe twitches with a guttural moan and presses his hips down against him. Hard.

"Fuck, I don't need more magic, love," Joe whispers, not wasting any more time now that Draco is slick and ready. He slips two fingers in, not in the mood to start slow. Draco can handle it but he still doesn't want to rush and hurt his blonde. He groans when they slide in easily and immediately adds a third. "Holy fuck," he pants when they all fit easily.

"Do me," he begs quietly, moaning when Draco slides a slick hand down his steadily leaking cock, thumb swiping the head teasingly. His hips twitch forward, fucking into Draco's slick fist. He bites his lip and nearly comes from the brief contact. He's not sure how long he's going to last at this rate.

Draco smirks when Joe groans and his eyes flutter closed. "I'm ready, just go." He hooks a leg behind Joe's arse, heel digging in. He sighs as Joe's hand slides down his other leg, pulling it up slightly to cage his hips with his thighs. He bites out a curse when Joe slides in, his hips resting against Draco's arse in one smooth move. "Fuck," he breathes, rolling his hips. Joe's hands tighten around him and he hisses a breath through his teeth.

"I can't... This isn't going to be long," Joe mumbles apologetically. He shifts so he can get a hand free, wrapping it around Draco's cock just as he starts to move in slow, shallow thrusts. No, he isn't going to last long at all.

"Just move, love," Draco urges, gasping as Joe's hand moves swiftly up and down his cock. He hadn't been nearly as worked up as Joe at the start but he's gotten there quickly. "Hard and fast," he whispers encouragingly, rolling his hips and arching his back. By the guttural moan, he knows Joe isn't going to need any more encouragement. He reaches up and grabs a handle molded into the door, preparing for a thorough shagging.

Joe nods, his eyes closing. Hard and fast is the only thing on his mind as he starts moving. He's only slightly surprised to hear Draco whining and moaning in the sexy way he does when he's close to coming and he picks up his pace, his hips and hand moving quickly with hard thrusts.

"Please be close," he murmurs. He slides a hand up Draco's body to rest by his head, leaning down awkwardly to kiss Draco in a wet, passionate kiss. He pants into the kiss, grunting softly with each push and pull into Draco.

Draco moans into Joe's mouth, not even able to nod he's so close. His hands scrabble for purchase on Joe's arms, gripping the heated flesh tightly as his back arches. "Oh, fuck yeah, so close," he moans, not bothering to be quiet. He has no idea if the driver blocking device is able to keep their sounds blocked as well and he doesn't care. Let the limo man hear. He twitches almost violently when he feels Joe pulsing and releasing inside him. Merlin, that's hot. He's so close but thankfully, Joe is still hard and pounding away.

"Oh fuck," he moans, elongating the 'u' as he arches and cries out his own release. It's unbelievably erotic to feel Joe come first, he isn't sure how the man stayed hard long enough to keep fucking him to completion and he's not sure he cares. He's just happy to ride out the orgasm. Joe pulls him close with a little circle of his hips before going still.

"Sorry," Joe murmurs and he flops down onto Draco's chest, one hand sliding up the his body to tangle in damp pale hair. He nuzzles Draco's neck before kissing him softly. He's feeling a little less twitchy but not all together as relaxed as he normally would. He nearly groans with frustration. They definitely won't have time for another round.

Draco pulls back to look at Joe. "For what?" he asks with surprise. Merlin; his limbs are still tingly and heavy with his orgasm, toes still curled, and his arse is throbbing pleasantly. He's not come that quickly in awhile.

Joe clears his throat and peers down at Draco sheepishly. "Coming first," he says, voice raising at the end slightly in question. _And for being not so romantic,_ he thinks but doesn't add. Draco doesn't seem to mind at all, though; he looks thoroughly sated, beautifully flushed and damp, eyes blinking in the slow way he has when drunk, tired, or thoroughly shagged.

Draco chuckles. "Oh," he says, wrapping his arms and legs around Joe awkwardly. These seats really should be deeper since it's obviously not frowned upon to have sex in the backseat. "Don't be. I liked it. Merlin, that was hot," he says in a husky voice, leaning up just enough to nip at Joe's jaw, kissing his chin. "You worry about the weirdest things," he says with a chuckle, smoothing Joe's hair back from his damp temples with his palms.

"Well, I won't bother to worry about it next time." Joe huffs, snuggling into Draco anyway. "Fuck," he says as they feel the limo slow and start to make hard circles, sending them sliding around on the seats a little. "I think we're almost there," he whispers.

Draco laughs, squeezing Joe tightly before patting his hands on his chest to make Joe sit up. "You moaned, yelled and screamed while pounding into me and _now_ you whisper? You're so fucking adorable," he says, pinching Joe's cheek. He sticks his tongue out when Joe smacks his hand away and starts wiggling and writhing to get his robes back up his arms and on his body.

He groans and mutters a cleaning charm over themselves and his robes with his nose wrinkled. "Don't make me squirt you with cold water," he threatens when Joe shivers and inches closer again.

"Sorry. Alright, alright," Joe concedes with a chuckle. "I'll be good," he pouts and shrugs into his own robes. "Is there a reason we couldn't wear normal clothes?" he asks, arching an eyebrow and staring at their robes. He didn't mind wearing them for the ceremony but now... He feels a little odd wearing them.

Draco rolls eyes eyes and waves his wand over their robes, transfiguring them into something simple; jeans and hoodies. "Better, love?" He almost wants to keep the robes but he'd rather Joe be happy and comfortable. They have numerous photos if he ever needs to remember them.

Joe nods, swallowing thickly as he tries to control himself. Again. He leans over and kisses Draco quickly, purposely not lingering so he doesn't start trying to sex Draco all over again. "Thanks."

Draco just smiles and turns away when the car stops and the door is opened moments later. He smirks at the blushing limo man, winking as he gets out of the limo. He turns to see Joe grinning broadly, not a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Joe circles around to the back of the limo and grabs their luggage, grateful Draco shrunk most of it to fit in the one suitcase. He watches with amusement as the limo driver scrambles back to the driver side and hop back into the car. "Huh," he muses, grabbing Draco around the waist and watching the car speed off. "I suppose he's got another important client."

"Sure," Draco snorts, sorting through his messenger bag for their tickets. "Or he just needs a vigorous wank after hearing you shag me without mercy."

Joe nods slowly. "Maybe," he agrees, flushing lightly.

~oOo~

"Stop that!" Jake pleads, rushing over to where Harry is being tossed between Emmett and Jasper.

Harry looks up. "Why?" he asks, laughing. His face is flushed from the uncontrollable laughter and he smiles sheepishly and pats Emmett's shoulder in a 'let me down' gesture.

" _Why?_ " Jake repeats, incredulously. "You just got done telling me you're pregnant!" he cries, waving a hand towards Harry's stomach, ignoring the stunned expressions on the vampires' faces. "Is this even safe?"

Harry crosses his arms. "Yes. I'm not going to break myself _or_ hurt the baby." He glares at his husband. Even he knows the baby is probably still microscopic, completely safe even without a magical shield... cocoon... thing.

"Congratulations, guys," Emmett says cheerfully, trying to diffuse the suddenly tense atmosphere. He grins when Harry looks at him owlishly, blinking up at him as though forgetting he's there. Or maybe what he's being congratulated for.

Sure it's a surprise to hear such words come out of a guy's mouth, but he couldn't be happier for his new friends. He can't wait to tell Rosie.

Jasper nods, a small smile on his face. "Yes, congratulations to you both. I hadn't realized... such a thing was possible," he says slowly, hoping he isn't being offensive.

He's still learning new things daily about their magical friends but this, so far, is the most shocking. "I did wonder why you were smelling a little... off," he muses quietly as he looks at Harry, earning an agreeing nod from Emmett.

"Thanks," Harry and Jake say at the same time, sharing an amused grin before they both start glaring at each other again.

Harry glares at Jake, unconcerned he's forced to look up. "I'm not going to be kept in a safe room or wrapped in bubbles, Jake," he informs him lowly, his fingers digging into his upper arms. He knows why Jake is concerned but he's not sure he can handle it if Jake starts being completely unreasonable. Or controlling. After everything he's learned, Harry's quite shocked Jake would even attempt it.

"I know." Jake rubs his forehead, deflating with a sigh. He reaches out and pulls Harry flush against him, wrapping both arms securely around Harry's body. "I know," he murmurs again.

It felt like his heart was lodged in his throat when he saw Harry being tossed around like a fucking ball but he knows, even if he doesn't like it, that Harry would buck against a stern, controlling hand. As well he should, really. Jake is just scared of the worst... Hopefully once they see the healer he can calm a bit with actual medical facts and knowledge.

"I'm just worried. I'll try to rein it in."

Harry sighs softly. "Jake," he says quietly and cups his face as best he can while pinned to Jake's chest. "It's alright to be concerned but just... Don't go into the crazy zone with it, yeah?"

Emmett and Jake snort with amusement. "Sure sure," Jake agrees, letting Harry go slightly. "I still don't think it's a good idea to be tossing my husband around like a ball," he says, a hard undertone to his words, to Emmett and Jasper.

"Yes," Jasper says and needlessly clears his throat. "Not the best idea, I agree." He doesn't want to be a tattletale and tell Jake it had been Harry's idea; the little wizard had bounced excitedly, bubbling with excitement. He groans when Emmett, apparently, has no such qualms.

"It was his idea," Emmett says, pointing at Harry with a grin.

Jake rolls his eyes. "Oh, whatever," he says with a reluctant laugh, completely unsurprised. "Anyway, the whole reason I came looking for you is because Remus, Nigel and Teddy are leaving."

"Alright." Harry nods sadly and waves to the vampires as Jake leads him into the house. "I think the twins, Blaise and Pansy will be here another day or so..." he trails off, unsure what Jake's opinion on that is.

Jake shrugs. "Alright." He grins, he likes the twins; he doesn't care how long they stay. He's already gotten a small pile of their prank candies and potions. He doesn't know if they'll work on Seth (and the twins were just as unsure but eager to find out as he is) but he's excited to find out.

Harry is squeezed in a tight hug by Remus a moment later, Teddy squeezing their legs with tearful ferocity. "Thanks for coming Remus, it was wonderful to see you."

"Of course, cub," Remus says warmly, releasing Harry with reluctance. He retrieves Teddy from Harry's legs and hands the child to Harry, smiling when they both sniffle and latch onto each other.

"You come and visit anytime, Teddy," Harry says softly, squeezing Teddy once more before leaning back. He ruffles Teddy's pale blue hair and grins. "I'll keep your room just as it is, yeah?"

Teddy beams up at Harry before looking at Remus and Nigel, "Dad, Nigel! I get to keep my room!" He hops up and down in Harry's arms, tears forgotten as his hair turns in messy black imitation of Harry's. "When can I visit again, dad?"

Remus laughs and carefully removes Teddy from Harry's embrace. "I dunno, kiddo. We'll see, yeah?"

Teddy deflates slightly, he knows what 'we'll see' means. He pouts and crosses his arms sullenly. "Okay." He stomps over to his packed trunk and paws through it, tossing things into the floor only to have them zoom back into his trunk. "Simon?" he mutters, nearly panicking he can't find him until he finally wraps his hand around one fuzzy leg. With a sigh of relief he slams his trunk closed and stomps back over towards uncle Harry, dad and Nigel. "Am I coming back before the baby comes?" he asks his dad.

"Erm," Remus says, caught flat footed. "I don't know. I don't think it'll be that long, kiddo," he says, mentally cursing. He hasn't a clue when he can arrange time off again.

"Remus," Harry says softly, "Teddy is welcome all on his own, you know. Anytime..." he trails off, unsure how comfortable Remus will be with having Teddy stay without him. He sees Jake nodding along in his peripheral and he sends him a warm, grateful smile.

Remus looks at Harry carefully, trying to see how sincere the offer is. "Are you sure?" he asks, grateful Harry would offer. He's had to cut back on Teddy's time with Andromeda as the older woman's health declines and he misses the alone time with Nigel. The past weeks here had been wonderful.

"Sure," Harry says with an easy shrug. "I'd love to have him and I'm sure you'd like some time to yourself," he adds, unaware of Remus' similar thoughts and hoping it'll be the thing that'll sway Remus' decision. "Everyone loves him, so it's really not an issue." Even Draco loves Teddy, which doesn't surprise Harry as much as he thought it would've. Natalie is sticking around and it was adorable to watch the two play and interact.

Remus chuckles. "True," he muses, glancing briefly at Nigel. They share a quick grin before he nods, kneeling to talk to Teddy. "You can visit whenever uncle Harry is ready for you, Teddy." He stands and gives Harry a playfully stern look. "I'll floo or owl and you let me know if you're able to take the monster, alright?"

Harry nods, grinning.

Teddy whoops and punches a fist in the air. "Yay!" He sighs, clutching Simon tightly to his chest. "Good. Else I was going to have to leave Simon for the baby for that _whole_ time," he informs the shocked adults. He doesn't mind sharing but he would have really missed Simon, so he's glad he doesn't have to leave him.

He skips over to the fireplace, happy to be able to visit all his uncles again soon. "Let's go, guys!" he cries impatiently.

Harry and Remus hug briefly again before there are handshakes all around. Jake shakes Nigel's hand with awkward politeness and blushes slightly when Remus rolls his eyes and pulls him into a hug. By the time they get to the fireplace to floo home, Teddy is bouncing around excitedly, twirling Simon around.

As soon as the green flames flicker out, Jake folds Harry close, rubbing a hand over his back. "Are you going to be okay when Hermione and Luna leave?"

Harry groans miserably, nuzzling his face into Jake's chest. He hadn't even thought about them leaving yet. "Yes," he mutters, unsure but unwilling to be a complete baby about it.

~oOo~

Earlier than he'd imagined or even hoped for, Jake leads Harry upstairs to bed. Thankfully, it's late enough it doesn't seem odd to head to bed but early enough neither of them are too tired. Jake is still feeling jittery so he's hoping to god Harry isn't tired. He'd let him sleep but he'd, no doubt, have a very sore arm.

The vampires had all left rather early in the evening after cleaning up with Harry. Jake had almost interfered until he saw how efficiently and quickly they worked. Between the vampires' speed and strength and Harry's magic, everything was done in 10 minutes.

The twins had retired to one of the outside tents, claiming the outdoors a safer place since they had some things to try out. Jake had only rolled his eyes and bid them goodnight with a grin.

Hermione and Luna's leaving had caused Harry to tear up again, like he'd expected. He was sure that would have been the case even if Harry hadn't been pregnant. They'd be in a tight little group hug for long moments. Jake had gotten a little choked up himself seeing the friends say their goodbyes. Luna had given him a tight hug and firm instructions to take care of Harry. As if he wouldn't already even without her instructions...

He had asked for something specific but Luna had only giggled and said something about tiramisu. In her own strangely endearing way, Hermione's parting words were both stern reminders to take care of himself and fond words of affection. Both witches grinned none-too-subtly when assuring they'd visit again. Soon.

Goyle and Natalie had taken up in Remus' vacated room, surprising Jake when he hadn't even blinked when Gloria shyly moved some of her things into Seth's room (Neville now sharing with Leah, who kicked Sue out into Billy's room with a mock grimace of disgust). It amused Jake to no end to see Seth's shocked blushing face as Gloria had shuffled across the hallway with an armful of pajamas. He wondered if Goyle had put some kind of spell on his sister to discourage wandering hands... he would have. He chucked when Seth closed his door with a slow, wonder-filled smile on his face.

He found the musical rooms quite amusing. He'd almost offered Draco's room to Blaise, but figured since the guy hadn't complained, he was fine in the tent. He knew Joe wouldn't care, even if he called the guy Blair, they seemed to get along well enough, but he didn't want to risk Draco's wrath.

Jake leads Harry towards the bathroom, intent on a nice hot bath. Mostly to sooth his husband, but he enjoys bathing with Harry, whatever the reason.

He steps away only long enough to start the water before taking Harry's hand and pulling him close. Without a word, he slowly strips Harry, carefully undoing all the small buttons since he isn't in a hurry. He slides his hands over the revealed skin, leaning down to follow the path of his hands with his mouth. He smiles when Harry's head tilts back with a soft, contented little sigh.

He works quickly, pushing the robes off of Harry's shoulders, grinning when he finds absolutely nothing on under the robes. He eagerly slides his palms down Harry's chest, ghosting over already pebbled nipples and settling for a long moment on his stomach.

Harry smiles up at Jake, wondering what's going on in his mind that has Jake beaming. He shivers lightly with pleasure when Jake's hands slide from his belly to his arse. His hands firm in their movements. He moans softly when Jake pulls him forward, pressing his naked body against him. He groans when he feels Jake's through the soft robes.

"Naked," he murmurs, eager to see and touch Jake; especially the erection he feels pressing into him, but he doesn't make any move to disrobe Jake. He much prefers to watch Jake do it.

Jake leans back slightly, grabs the neck of his robes in each hand and just rips his robes open, smirking at a shocked Harry as the buttons go flying and the fabric rips slightly as the ruined robes pool at his feet in a heap. "I've been wanting to do that for hours," he informs his husband and quickly stifles any retorts with a thorough kiss.

He leads Harry to the full tub and gently picks him up and eases them both into the warm, sudsy water. "Relax," he murmurs, running soothing hands down Harry's back and sides.

"Mhmmm," Harry hums in agreement and goes limp, draping himself over Jake's lap and chest, head resting on a firm shoulder. He nearly purrs when Jake's hands gently burrow into his hair, massaging his scalp and neck. He giggles, unable to help himself, when Jake's cock twitches against his back. "Poor Jake," he hums, sitting up a little to press against Jake.

They've barely been in the soothing warm water for 5 minutes but he's just as eager as Jake is. "I don't want to do this in the tub," he murmurs, nipping at Jake's jaw. He doesn't mind fooling around, but sex is just awkward and uncomfortable in the water. He chuckles when Jake nods emphatically, lifting him out of the water quickly and with no warning.

Harry barely has time to cast a quick drying charm before his lips are sealed with another fierce kiss. He moans as hands fist in his hair and move his head around, angling him to Jake's whims. He goes for Jake's neck and chest when his husband pulls away to gulp in a lungful of air.

"Yeah," Jake breathes, nearly panting. "Bed," he grunts, hurrying out of the bathroom clutching Harry to him like a teddy bear. He gently tosses Harry onto the bed, grinning when he bounces with a shocked laugh. He pounces, caging Harry's body with his and nearly attacks his lips with his own and his body with his hands.

Harry's eyes rolls back as Jake's hands roam his body, somehow managing to be _every_ where at once.

Jake's pulls away just long enough to lean over to grab the bottle of lube in the bedside table. At Harry's questioning look, he shrugs and flips the cap open with such force he nearly squirts the lube all over the bed and Harry's face.

"I'll probably explode if you did magic right now. This works," he says, his focus already on working his overly slicked fingers into Harry. He laughs when the lube squishes obscenely and dribbles down between Harry's cheeks to puddle on the sheets. "Oops, too much," he chuckles, pressing in another finger and biting his lip to force himself to go slow once he realizes he's already working in a fourth.

"Turn," Harry instructs, laughing softly when Jake eagerly wraps an arm around his waist and flops over with him landing on Jake's chest. "Scoot back," he murmurs, trying not to laugh again when Jake quickly scrambles back, piling some pillows behind himself as he settles back. "Merlin, how have you not combusted yet?" he asks, staring at Jake's erection. It's flushed dark, leaking steadily and Jake's whole body is visibly thrumming with energy. "I'm going to start slow and I'll let you know when you can take over, yeah?"

Jake nods, eager to finally be inside his husband and silently hoping this with help dissipate the crazy energy zinging through his body still. He'd calmed slightly after the run with Joe and rushing around saying good-byes and helping clean up helped a bit too. But not enough. He _needs_ Harry, he needs to be inside him.

He moans appreciatively when Harry crawls up his body, his hotslick ass resting right above his straining cock. "Harry," he pleads, not in the mood to be teased.

"Hush," Harry whispers, winding an arm behind Jake's neck to bring them closer for a kiss. He lifts himself, reaching behind himself to fist and slick Jake's cock, guiding it in by feel. He moans into Jake's mouth as he slowly sinks down. "Ah! Wait wait," he says when he feels Jake twitching eagerly again.

An adorable whine sounds, deep in Jake's throat and Harry slides his free hand down Jake's chest to stroke flushed skin.

He slowly starts to move, using the arm behind Jake's neck to keep them close and as leverage as he picks up his pace. His buries his face in Jake's neck, panting and moaning as he moves. Unsurprisingly, he feels Jake's body start to tighten almost immediately.

Jake groans, eyes closing as his body flushes with heat and tightens way too quickly. He works a hand between their bodies, blindly groping for Harry's cock. He moans when he finally wraps a hand around it, stroking and pumping fast, using the same rhythm as Harry's hips.

"Oh god, faster," he begs, arching way too soon and coming, his vision going white for a long moment. He stares down at their joined bodies, surprised he's still hard but glad since Harry's still sliding up and down on him, bouncing at at nearly sedate pace now and leaning back for the perfect angle.

He gasps and writhes as Harry moves in a slow, sexy little circle. He wraps his hands around Harry's hips, thumbs stroking as he helps Harry move when his thighs quiver and his pace stutters.

Harry moans lowly, panting as he finally comes. Jake is moving under him, mouth parted with pleasure, eyes tightly closed. He squeezes his arse around the still hard cock inside him. Jake twitches, still needing more. "I need a moment," he mumbles, flopping gracelessly against Jake's chest.

"Yeah, I bet," Jake chuckles, twitching a little when Harry's fingers flutter over his sides and chest. "I can't believe this," he says, looking down their still joined bodies, as if he could see his erection. "I really hope this goes away soon," he says truthfully. He's never stayed hard after an orgasm before and he's really not looking forward to a permanent erection. It's not fun as he thought it would be.

Harry groans softly. "I'm sure it will," he sighs and licks around an erect nipple, grinning when Jake arches into him with a gasping moan. "Might as well enjoy it while we can," he smirks, squeezing his arse around Jake again.

"Ugh, you better be ready now..." Jake pleads, rolling them so Harry is pinned to the bed under him. He whoops happily and presses a kiss to Harry's lip when the other man nods as he rolls his eyes slightly but smiles. "Brace yourself, babe," he warns and leans up, grabbing Harry's thighs, lifting and arranging him _just so_ , just right, so Jake can pound into him better.

Harry doesn't get a chance to reply, even if he wasn't going to disagree, when Jake pulls out almost all the way before slamming back in almost roughly. He glances up when all movement stops, seeing Jake looking at him uncertainly for a moment, gauging his reaction.

"Fuck yeah, go love," he urges, stretching his arms out across the bed, grabbing the sheets and trying to prepare himself for a very thorough shagging.

Jake grins wolfishly, sliding his hands up Harry's legs and settling on his ankles. He shamelessly pulls, splaying Harry wide. He groans at the sight (and at Harry rolling his hips in approval) and lets his body set the pace it wants. His hips move faster and harder than usual but Harry seems to enjoy it, if his incoherent moans and babbling are any sign.

He lets go of Harry's ankles and slides his hands over Harry's body; over peaked nipples, muscled shoulders, arms and any part of Harry's sexy legs he can reach. He groans as Harry reacts with each touch, his body almost too sensitive. Harry's hard-on returns quickly but Jake doesn't pay it any mind, instead moving Harry's body around again until he hears Harry practically howl with pleasure.

It'll take longer but he's fully intends on fucking Harry into a second orgasm.

Harry arches, lost in a haze of pleasure as Jake moves in him forcefully. He's barely aware of the string of obscenities and filthy encouragements coming from his mouth. Not giving a fuck how he sounds, Jake enjoys it anyway. His eyes roll back almost painfully as his body bows and twitches with another orgasm.

"You better be done," he threatens hoarsely, spent and laying limply as Jake continues to move.

"I... Don't... Know..." Jake pants, thankfully only needing a few more thrusts before he collapses. He nearly weeps with relief when he feels himself start to soften. "Oh thank god," he whispers, chuckling when Harry thanks Merlin at the same time.

He moves his hips a bit, grimacing a little as he slips out, a healthy stream of come following. He can't help looking at the slick trail and has to stifle a groan and look away, not at all interesting in getting turned on again. He could probably handle another round, but Harry would probably want to hex him.

"That was... incredible but I would have _died_ if you had to keep going," Harry mumbles dramatically, eyes closed as his breathing slowly calms. He feels Jake's chuckle rumble against his chest and slaps weakly at whatever part of his oh-so-amused husband he can reach. "Not funny... I'd have been a puddle of goo. A happy, well shagged puddle of goo, but a puddle of goo all the same."

Jake chuckles again and kisses Harry's nose, carding his fingers through Harry's damp hair before nuzzling his neck. "Can't have that. Can't take a puddle of goo to Disney World," he murmurs with a grin.

"True." Harry laughs delightedly. "Inconvenient that," he agrees, snuggling into Jake. He shivers and Jake immediately shifts to grab the blankets. "Thanks, but we should..." he trails off when Jake starts stroking his neck and scalp. "Get cleaned up," he finishes weakly, no longer caring how gross they are, very unwilling to move right then.

Jake nods weakly, finally feeling everything relax. "Do your thing," he whispers, kissing down Harry's chest, briefly tonguing and nipping a pebbled nipple. He shudders but manages to control himself when Harry cleans them both up. "Thanks." He doesn't want to get up either but has little desire to wake up stuck together.

He slowly kisses up Harry's body before ending on his lips, smiling against them. "G'night."

Harry hums, both in pleasure and acknowledgement before dropping off.

Jake grins against his sleeping husband's neck, snuggling down and pulling Harry closer. He sighs with contentment; he's married to his imprint, he's going to be a dad and they're taking a long trip— just the two of them. He joins Harry in sleep, a smile still on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

Jake looks towards the bathroom door, a mixture of apprehension and sympathy on his face. He cringes a little when he hears another round of retching—which is not nearly muffled enough by the door in his opinion. When he hears a flush and the water running in the sink, he dials the number for room service.

If he hadn't been aware of Harry's pregnancy, he'd probably be worried sick that his husband has run to the bathroom first thing in the morning (and occasionally after dinner) the past four days. He hates hearing his Harry in distress. He places his order quickly and he sets the phone back down, hurrying over to the door when it starts to open.

Harry grimaces and rubs his stomach, nearly colliding with Jake as he leaves the toilet. "Hey," he says softly, sighing when Jake's arms wrap around him tightly and warm hands smooth across his back.

"Better?" Jake asks, his voice slightly muffled by Harry's hair.

"A little." Harry chuckles softly and shrugs. "Sorry."

Jake clucks his tongue and eases Harry over towards the large, comfy chair by the bed. He flops down and pulls Harry into his lap, smirking slightly as he shifts Harry's body around. "Don't be, babe. You can't help it," he says, rubbing a hand in soft circles over Harry's belly.

He grins when Harry sags against him, sure his husband would be purring if he were able to. He hates that he can't do anything more for Harry, but the soothing tummy rubs seem to help and he is happy to do it.

"Besides, it's not like we're missing much." He grins again. They had spent maybe 3 days total at the theme parks, neither one being all that impressed with the attractions once they got there. He's still adjusting to the drastically different climate. He isn't used to so much sun and warmth! It's kinda nice but it's oppressive being out for too long.

When there's a soft knock on the door, he eases Harry off of his lap. "Be right back," he says, kissing Harry lightly before sprinting for the door.

Harry just watches Jake go with a smile before laying back in the comfortable chair and closing his eyes. He isn't stupid enough not to expect the dreaded morning sickness, he just hoped it wouldn't attack him now.

He obediently opens his mouth when he feels a plastic straw poke his lips and represses an unmanly giggle when Jake starts rubbing his belly again. He barely gets a few sips in before he spits out the straw, unable to stifle the giggles anymore. "Jake! I'm fine, love," he says softly, opening his eyes.

Jake flushes lightly before rearranging Harry again so he can sit next to him. "Alright, but I just— I don't know what else I can do."

"Awww," Harry coos and scootches forward to lounge across Jake's lap. "You're so sweet, love. But I'm fine."

Jake just looks down at Harry, doubt written clearly all over his face. "Fine," he finally says, knowing it's pointless to argue. "You still have to finish this," he says and holds up the glass with the bubbling soda in it. "Then, lunch? Maybe the beach?" he asks, excitement clear in his voice. He's really looking forward to seeing the pristine beaches. The water is probably even still warm enough to go swimming.

"Sure," Harry says, sitting up and taking the glass from Jake, sipping it thoughtfully. "I guess we can do lunch, but I'm not swimming," he adds, wrinkling his nose.

"Why not?"

Harry gapes at Jake before laughing again. "It's bloody cold, that's why not. I'm a mere warm-blooded wizard, love. I'll happily ogle you in your bathing suit, though," he says, wiggling his eyebrows as his eyes wander the bits of Jake he can see.

"Oh," Jake says, cheeks hot. "I didn't bring one." Harry's eyes dilate and Jake flushes again. "Oh, geez, you're such a pervert!" he groans. Even if he can, nude beaching is so not something he'll want to do.

Harry shrugs carelessly. "Anyone would be," he says, gaze hot on Jake as he nibbles on the plastic straw. "Of course, I'd hex them to smoldering bits if anyone else ogled you." He smirks when he sees Jake fidget slightly under his heated gaze. It's insanely adorable that Jake still reacts that way after all this time and he wonders when that'll stop. Hopefully, never.

Jake laughs until he sees Harry is completely serious. "I don't know how I could forget how scary you could be, you possessive little—"

"Little what?" Harry interrupts, glaring a little. He's surprised by the sudden flair of irritation, even if he knows Jake isn't mocking his height, or lack thereof, or his new possessive streak. He feels slightly bad when Jake's eyes widen and dart around with panic, but not bad enough to quit glaring.

Jake pauses. "Uh, little love muffin?" he asks with an uncertain grin. He pulls the glass from Harry's hand, setting it on the floor and then pulling Harry over again to settle more comfortably in his lap. "Snuggle bug?"

Harry snorts and wrinkles his nose in clear distaste. "That's really gross, love. Don't say such things again."

"Alright, alright." Jake laughs, nuzzling Harry's neck. "I felt really stupid saying it, so I agree completely."

Harry hums in agreement, his hand sliding into Jake's hair. "I'm not normally possessive, you know, but it's just... hormones, I suppose."

"Completely alright by me, babe." Jake says brightly, feeling a warm thrill go through him. Not about Harry actually hurting someone but... well, he feels the same way about Harry, so he guesses it's only fair. He's had to calm his inner wolf numerous times just in the past week when he's caught people—men _and_ women—ogling his husband. It's never bothered him so much before and he can only guess it's because of Harry now being pregnant.

He kisses along Harry's neck, his hands sliding under the soft sleep shirt Harry has on. The only down side of being at the hotel is having to wear something resembling pajamas when they woke up, Jake refuses to give anyone the chance of catching either of them naked.

He smiles against the warm skin against his lips when Harry sighs happily and presses closer. He groans mournfully when his belly rumbles noisily. "Sorry," he whispers regretfully.

Harry leans back, pecking Jake quickly on the lips before smiling. "We've got another week, it's not like we can't defile this chair later." He grins and wiggles his eyebrows again, making Jake choke out a laugh. "I'm actually hungry, too."

Jake stands, holding Harry close and chuckles even though he's relieved. He could rarely guess how Harry would react to the thought of food after he'd had his morning... issues. Most times he'd almost turn green and just nibble on a cracker, turning away when Jake ate.

"Good," he says slowly letting Harry go, only to keep a hold of his hand and giving him a slow, sweet kiss, happy Harry didn't pull away. He pulls back and heads towards the bathroom. "Shower, dressed, then food!"

"Yes, yes," Harry says, following Jake, his eyes on the cotton clad arse in front of him. Unable to resist, he pinches a pert cheek, snickering when Jake jumps with a squeak. "Sorry, too tempting, love," he says unabashedly.

Jake just raises an eyebrow and starts the shower. "Uh huh, sure sure." He grins and wiggles his ass at Harry, dodging another pinch. "You mark me up and people will think I'm a battered husband."

Harry's eyes darken and he growls softly, backing Jake into the shower stall door. "Who, exactly, is looking at your bare arse?"

Jake grins, thoroughly enjoying the reaction. Geez, is he some kind of deviant pervert to get turned on? He nearly hums with satisfaction when Harry grabs his butt possessively and leans in closer.

"Nobody," he says with a grin before turning his head slightly and pointing to his neck. " _This_ , however, is very visible, you little animal." He fights another blush when he's flooded with memories of when he got the bite mark from Harry.

Harry's face flushes lightly as he reaches up and softly runs the pads of his fingers over the slightly red and purple bite mark. "Ah, sorry about that," he whispers, stepping towards Jake and going on his toes to kiss the abused skin.

"Oh, fuck that," Jake says hoarsely, his eyes fluttering closed at the contact. "It's fine, just sayin'," he mumbles as Harry's tongue sweeps across the sensitive skin. "I really don't mind," he breathes as he shivers lightly.

"Now who's the pervert?" Harry teases, pulling his clothes off with hurried movements. He grins when Jake flushes again, his mouth opening and closing a few times. "Oh hush, I'm kidding," he soothes, pulling Jake's sleep pants down, tapping the back of his knees so he'll step out of them. He's learned the hard way to make sure Jake was clear of any and all obstructions before touching him. One close call with a table edge was enough for both of them. "I am sorry, though. I didn't mean to bite so hard."

Jake shudders lightly when Harry's hands wrap around his hips. "Really, I don't mind. It barely even hurts," he admits, willing another blush away. He'd been surprised when Harry had bitten him, sure, but it was even more surprising when he'd nearly blacked out when he came from the action. Whenever he touched it it sent a slightly pained pleasure sweeping through his entire body, heat pooling in his belly and groin. Harry's hands still on their trek to his cock and he whines pitifully.

"Really?" Harry asks, eyebrows raised. "That's kinda odd," he muses before shaking his head and pulling Jake towards the steaming shower. It's also odd that it hasn't healed quickly. Usually it only takes Jake a matter of minutes to heal from a minor wound like that. He hums thoughtfully before putting it out of his mind for now, leaning up to capture Jake's lips. "Good, I don't want to actually hurt you."

Jake groans softly as Harry's naked, wet body presses against his. "I know," he murmurs, grabbing the shampoo and slowly working it into Harry's hair. He smiles when Harry sags against him with a soft moan of contentment. "I swear, you would be purring if you were a cat."

Harry chuckles and shrugs lazily. "Pro'lly," he murmurs, leaning back to rinse. He stands on his toes to return the favor, smirking when Jake reacts the same way. "See? It's very relaxing," he chuckles as Jake slowly nods, a soft contented growling noise coming from deep in his throat. "Is that a little wolfy purr?" he asks, half-amused and half-turned on.

Jake peeks down at Harry with one eye and swats his butt playfully. "Maybe. Jealous?"

"Merlin, no," Harry breathes. "I just want to find new ways to make you do that again," he says earnestly, wiggling his fingers through Jake's dark, soapy locks. "That was incredibly fucking sexy," he adds, pushing Jake back a little so he can rinse. He nibbles his bottom lip, torn between his grumbling belly and his hard cock.

Jake chuckles, seeing the indecision on Harry's face. "Man should never be forced to choose between food and sex," he says sagely, reaching down to wrap a hand around Harry's erection, drawing his hand up and down in quick movements.

"Nope," Harry agrees breathlessly, moaning softly as Jake's wicked hand strokes him with practiced moves. His head flops back and his eyes close, enjoying the attention. He grumbles when Jake's movements stop but he can't help the squeak that leaves him when Jake spins him around and presses him against the glass wall of the shower stall. A low, long moan leaves him when two of Jake's slick fingers glide between his arse cheeks and slip inside, aiming right for the sensitive bundle of nerves with practiced precision.

His body arches when Jake's other hand grips his cock again, both hands moving in sync together, quickly bringing him to the edge of orgasm. "Oh fuck," he whimpers as his knees buckle, only being held up by Jake when he feels a knee slide between his thighs.

Jake watches his fingers disappear inside Harry's body with a shudder. "Fuck, that's hot," he murmurs, gaze roaming all over Harry's body. He leans forward, pressing his chest firmly against Harry's back as he leans down and licks along Harry's ear.

He shudders again, his hips moving of their own accord against the small of Harry's back, rutting against him. He feels his own orgasm approaching and he groans into Harry's ear, biting the outer shell lightly with a soft growl. "Come on," he half-commands, half-begs.

Harry gasps, his breathing erratic and stuttering as Jake's ministrations and growled words tip him over the edge. He comes with a sighing moan, painting the wall and Jake's hand briefly with his release before the hot spray washes it away.

He gasps when Jake presses against him with a growling moan, teeth sinking into his shoulder as warmth hits his lower back. He nearly felt bad about not being able to touch Jake but he grins with the knowledge that it is no longer an issue.

Harry turns, sliding his slick body against Jake's to stay close together. He grabs Jake by the back of the neck and drags him down for a kiss, sloppy and warm with lazy pleasure. He blindly reaches behind himself for the soap and gently releases Jake from his grasp.

He lathers the soap against Jake's chest and stomach. "Now I'm absolutely starving," he grins, his hands moving in quick strokes along Jake's flushed skin.

Jake chuckles, stealing the soap from Harry's hands and gently running it along his shoulders and back. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself," he says unapologetically. He did feel a little bad, he really didn't want to delay Harry eating but how is he supposed to just ignore a hard, wet, naked Harry? He can't. It's impossible.

He smiles when Harry lifts his legs one at a time so Jake can wash him easier. "Geez, I feel like your personal bather."

"Ah, but you are, love," Harry says with a chuckle, spinning away slightly to stand under the spray and rinsing off. "I'm sure it's a real chore," he says with an eye roll and an amused snort that turns into full blown giggles when Jake just shakes his head with a glazed expression, his dark brown eyes watching him.

"Turn," he instructs, taking the soap back and lathering Jake's back, chest, stomach and arse before gliding his hands down his strong thighs and legs. "I know I'm not complaining," he says cheekily, slapping Jake's arse playfully.

Jake yelps and glares slightly at an unabashed Harry. "Battered husband!" he accuses, rinsing off with a chuckle, ignoring Harry's wide-eyed innocent expression. "Alright, enough fooling around," he says with a sigh and shuts the water off. He steps out, carefully helping Harry out and enveloping them both with big, white fluffy towels.

"What do you feel like eating?" he asks, rubbing a towel over his hair before doing the same to Harry. He smiles when Harry leans into it, having long ago stopped his protests to Jake taking care of him. He taps Harry's leg, bending slightly so he can dry his legs and feet.

Harry just watches Jake with a fond smile and a slight roll of his eyes. Honestly, like he can't dry himself. He's pretty sure Jake just likes to fondle him and it feels really nice so he doesn't complain. He sighs when Jake rubs the towel over his hair again and places a kiss on the top of his head.

"I dunno," he finally answers. He's only recently noticed some things are rejected immediately, as if his child refused the offering of food. Other things send him right into a sickening wave of nausea. It's annoying to not know what he's going to react to until he's faced with it. "For all the take-away we've had, I haven't had a good ol' American cheeseburger."

Jake raises an eyebrow before shrugging and heading towards their suitcase to dress. "I guess, but you know, if you don't like it, we'll look around until we find something you do like."

Harry chuckles and hugs Jake from behind, wiggling his hips slightly. He pouts when Jake slaps at him lightly. "Jake," he whines.

"No. Please, babe, we need to eat. Anymore of that and we're going to be stuck in here and ordering room service," Jake says, wrinkling his nose slightly. The food isn't all that bad, but it's incredibly over-priced.

"Fine," Harry huffs and paws through their bag for something to wear. He scowls at the heavy clothing. "I really wish I could use magic here." He sighs and slips into a pair of dark jeans.

"Uh... how would they know?" Jake asks, curious. They're in a normal hotel, sure, but it's only them in the room. Who would know?

Harry pauses. He's never actually thought about it. "Well, back home, the ministry just knows. I don't know how, never bothered to ask. Especially under aged magical use. Using it around muggles... Now that I think about it, I don't know how the American Wizarding Bureau regulates magic use," he muses aloud, fingering his wand unconsciously.

"Well, don't whip it out and find out the hard way. We'll find out. Later," Jake says, pulling a t-shirt over Harry's head, smiling when his hair sticks up wildly even when damp.

Harry frowns up at Jake and crosses his arms. "I know. I have no interest in being fined or hauled off to whatever sort of place the wizards here put criminals simply to transfigure a pair of shorts," he says with a huff and stalks towards the door.

Jake sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. God help him with Harry's mood swings. He never knows what's going to send Harry into a huff or bursting into tears anymore. "I know, sorry babe. Let's get some food," he says catching up to Harry. He cautiously pulls Harry against him by the waist, trying not to sigh with relief when Harry willingly goes and presses against him.

"Yeah," Harry concedes, feeling silly for his earlier irritation. "Sorry," he murmurs, kissing Jake's neck in apology. He smiles as Jake just leads them towards the elevator, his arm still around him. They step in, ignoring the pinched expression on the old man already in the elevator.

He leans up and kisses Jake's jaw, hoping the sour old bastard swallows his tongue and chokes on it. "Feed me, love," he instructs with a lascivious purr in his voice, smiling coyly.

Jake just looks at Harry from the corner of his eye and nods, pulling him closer. He nearly rolls his eyes when he sees the older guy in the elevator with them avert his eyes with a scowl. He chuckles, though, by now used to Harry's habit of being affectionate in front of people that give them disapproving looks. One of these days he'll not be at all surprised if Harry goes further than small kisses and pet names.

"Yes, dear," he intones with a grin.

~oOo~

"Oh gross!" Seth cries, covering his eyes as he walks into the living room. "Leah!"

"What?" Leah says, pulling away from Neville's lips slightly to glare at her intruding little brother. "No one was here, asshole."

Seth sucks his teeth and peeks through his fingers. "Still... it's not like you're the only people here, though," he huffs, crossing his arms. "Gloria, hold up," he says over his shoulder when he hears her walking behind him.

The last time they'd walked into the living room when it was occupied, they'd found Blaise wrapped around one of the red-headed twins. He thought it was Fred, but he had trouble telling them apart without being up close. Gloria had squeaked with embarrassment and curled into his neck to avert her eyes. He didn't mind the last part but he doesn't want her to be weirded out by Leah and Neville if he can avoid it.

Embarrassing situations aside, he missed the other wizards. He often wondered what the three of them got up to in the tents out back but didn't let it bother him. He wasn't all that surprised when they all left the day after Harry and Jake left. Only their promise to return for a visit kept him from being a total sappy dork about it.

Leah rolls her eyes and slides off Neville's lap, giving him a quick kiss before he settles next to him. "There, you fucking prude." She smirks up at Seth. She wraps her hand around Neville's, smiling up at him when he squeezes her hand. She smiles at Neville, running a finger across his flushed cheeks and winks at him.

Neville is just too adorable.

She's not entirely sure if his cheeks are flushed from their activities or embarrassment. Thankfully, he didn't need the entire week to get all his stuff together and moved over here. She's been itching to pounce on him but they haven't been able to get a moment alone and she's not entirely sure she'd have stopped from going further right here on the couch if Seth hadn't interrupted.

One glance at Neville and she's pretty sure he's thinking the same thing, if the bulge in his jeans is anything to go by.

"Ugh," Seth grouses, stomping into the room and flopping into an over-stuffed chair. He grins and pulls Gloria down across his lap, sighing like a love-sick fool when she snuggles down against him as soon as she settles. "Sorry," he mutters. "It's just creepy when it's your sister," he defends.

Sure it's embarrassing walking in on anyone kissing but it's downright horrifying when it's Leah. He doesn't need to know what they got up to... 'cause just _ew_.

"Yeah, alright, you gotta point," Leah admits, laying a leg over Neville's lap as she leans back against the arm of the sofa. "So, what brings you love birds into our lust nest?" she asks, her gaze flicking between Seth and Gloria.

She suppresses a smile. It just won't do for Seth to know she's happy for the little fucker. Gloria, while still rather shy and quiet, is nice and fun when she loosened up.

"Just wanted to watch a movie," Seth grumbles, glaring at his sister. "Why else?"

"You gotta TV in your room, dickhead."

"It's small!" Seth defends with a huff. He glares when Gloria giggles. "Well it is."

"It is not, honey," Gloria says with a soft laugh. She grins when Seth's face goes slack with that dopey look he gets when she calls him 'honey' (or any other cutesy name). It was kind of embarrassing at first but she likes doing it now, especially when Seth gives her that look. "It's like, I don't know the size, but it's not _small_ ," she says, stretching her arms out wide to demonstrate the size.

Seth shakes his head to get rid of the Gloria-induced haze in his brain. He doesn't even feel irritated that she's taking Leah's side and ganging up on him. "It's smaller than that one," he says, pointing to the massive screen on the wall.

Leah snorts a laugh. "Forks is smaller than that fucking thing." She grins when Neville chuckles with a nod. "Fine, fine. I don't care. Pick something," she says waving a hand dismissively at the TV.

"Ah," Seth says, unwilling to move. "Neville, my man..." He grins when the wizard looks over at him and waves a hand at the TV. "Do your thing and put a movie in?" he asks. He doesn't want to get up but mostly he wants to see what Leah's reaction to Neville's magic is. Oh, gross, he realizes too late that he actually _doesn't_ want to see such a thing.

He scrambles for the remote, opening the door so Neville's magic doesn't blow the DVD player up. He doesn't think Harry would appreciate having to buy a third one in as many months... even if he was the one to blow up the first one.

Neville just nods and taps his chin with his wand, aware of Leah's heavy gaze. With a short nod, he flicks his wand and they all watch as a DVD slides out of the bookcase, opens and slides into the player.

He peeks over at Leah and flushes as she shivers, pressing closer to him. He grins, flicking his wand again needlessly to return the case to the shelf. He watches, completely engrossed in Leah's reaction he doesn't even notice the movie has started. He licks his lips when Leah shivers again, her breasts pressing into his side as her hips twitch and shift in the seat and a soft moan leaves her lips. "Sorry," he whispers.

Leah darts a quick glance at Seth and Gloria, noticing with immediate relief that they're both too engrossed in the TV to see her embarrassing reaction.

"It's fine," she breathes, her body still twitching pleasantly. Fuck; her entire body is thrumming and her panties are uncomfortably clammy now. "Fucking tease," she whispers, pulling Neville against her for a kiss.

She smiles against his lips when he leans in and presses closer, a large hand cupping her side, thumb flirting with the underside of her bra. "Later," she promises, pushing him gently with a hand on his chest.

"Yeah, alright," Neville agrees, licking his lips and trying to focus his attention on the TV. He blinks, unaware of what movie he'd picked. He chuckles when he notices it's one of Teddy's cartoon movies.

After a few moments he turns back to Leah. "Did you call Angela?"

It took Leah a moment to realize who Neville means and she slowly nods. "Yeah, she was really cool when I told her I'm with Draco," she snorts with amusement and shakes her head. "That fucking blonde just wraps people around his finger." Neville nods and she grins. "Anyway, whenever we wanna look through those houses, we can just call her and she'll arrange something."

She worries her bottom lip. Angela had been really nice and made it clear that there hadn't been any other interest in the houses yet, but she'd chase anyone else away until they came to a decision. She thought that was really fucking cool and found herself liking the perky real estate agent against her will. She's probably blonde, she muses with a snort.

"Ah," Neville says, lost in thought. He likes the idea of living close to Harry and the wolf pack, but not in the same house if it isn't needed. He doesn't mind being around other people but he gets the feeling Leah wants to be closer to her mom and it looks like Sue will go with the little housing development with Billy.

"What did you want to do?" he finally asks, getting Leah's full attention.

"I still don't know," she admits, biting her bottom lip again, harder this time as she thinks. "I really like it here... But... I don't know." She sighs. The idea of being alone with Neville makes her body clench with fierce desire but she doesn't want to be too far from her mom and the rest of the pack. She knows Jake and Joe are staying here with their husbands.

"Seth!" she hollers, tossing a pillow at his head with deadly accuracy, laughing when it smacks him right in the face. She grins when Gloria jumps back with surprise. "I aimed for him, Glor." She smirks when Gloria just giggles with an understanding nod.

Seth glares and tosses the pillow back. " _What?_ "

"What are you two doing?" Leah asks, wagging a finger between him and Gloria.

"Well, her brother is going to move into one of the houses since Draco practically forced him to," he says with a grin. "Mom will shit if I wanna move in with Gloria right now, so." He shrugs and looks at Gloria. "She's gonna stay with her brother and Natalie and I'll see if mom's cool with me having my own place." He really hopes his mom will be cool with it; he's practically an adult, anyway.

Leah snorts but nods. "Like hell mom'll let you, but worth a shot I guess." She turns to Neville with a shrug. "We'll look and see what's there, I guess."

"Alright," Neville agrees easily. He only hopes there is a nice sized yard for some of his more 'muggle' looking plants. "They'll be back next week."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. There really isn't any hurry though," Leah says with a slight pout.

"Nope," Neville agrees again with a smile, his teeth itching to close over that pouty lip. He would have leaned forward and done just that if they didn't have an audience. "So, we'll look tomorrow?"

Leah shrugs, her pout growing. "I guesso. Seems kinda stupid to put it off, huh?"

"No, not stupid but there's no reason not to look. Get a feel for the place."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Leah says, smiling softly. "Mr. Smarty-pants," she grins and pulls out her phone. She leans into Neville as she presses the contact button for Angela, waiting for the woman to pick up. She smiles when Neville squeezes her knee affectionately before his attention goes back to the TV.

~oOo~

"Holy fucking shit," Leah and Seth say at the same time as they pull up to the development. Neville and Gloria nod in agreement.

Goyle claps his hands over Natalie's ears with a quiet sigh. He's starting to wonder if there's a spell he can perform to block such words from his daughter's ears; it'll be easier than trying to get either of the werewolves to clean up their language.

"Wow indeed," Billy whistles from the passenger seat, leaning forward in to see out of the windshield. "I don't know about this, kids," he says softly, looking around the expanse of land.

They drove through a gate, having to punch in a pass-code on a little metal box, meaning the development was gated. Pristine blacktop and paved driveways. Landscaped yards. From where he can see the gate, he can't tell how big the surrounding property is, but it's easy to see everything rested up against a large, old wooded area.

He turns and sends Sue an apprehensive look. "Seems a little much?" he asks, eyes slightly wide.

Leah snorts a laugh when she sees a petite blonde woman climb out of an expensive sedan. "I knew it," she laughs and shuts the car off, opening her door and climbing out of the car without waiting for anyone else. "Hey, I'm Leah," she says with a nod at the blonde woman.

"Hello, I'm Angela."

"Yeah, I know," Leah says with a smirk, softening it into a smile after a moment. She rolls her eyes, "Hold up." She turns back to the car, "Get out, assholes! Can't see everything from the car!"

Seth and Neville hop out first, Seth going to the back to get Billy's chair. "Leah!" he says with a glare. "Don't be a bitch!"

Angela chuckles and flips her blonde hair over her shoulder, amusement clear on her face. "I'm not offended," she says with amusement when Leah turns to her looking uncertain and a little uncomfortable. "So, you guys want to look at all of them?" she asks, twirling the 7 sets of keys around her finger.

The little tags jangled together, catching Natalie's attention when she walks over with her dad. "Hey sweetie," Angela says softly as she squats down, indifferent to the 5 inch heels on her feet. "I'm Angela."

Natalie hides her face behind her daddy's leg, but peeks out at the stranger with a small smile. "Hi," she says softly, looking at the keys. "I'm Natalie," she says a little louder, stepping out from behind daddy's leg when the blonde lady smiles at her. "I like your hair," she says, wishing she could touch it. Uncle Draco let her touch his and it's so soft. Angela's didn't look as soft and pretty but it's still nice.

Angela smiles and makes a cooing noise, "Why thank you, I like yours too," she says, running a hand briefly over the little girl's dark blonde curls.

She stands as the rest of the group circles around her. "Hi, everyone. I'm Angela." A round of introductions greet her statement and she finds herself smiling at the little girl's father. "Alright." She clears her throat, "As you can see, there are six individual homes." She hands out a stack of papers to everyone, the large stack giving a detailed description of each house.

"All of them are fully renovated, updated kitchens and heating systems as of," she pauses and thumbs through her own set of papers, "2010. Two of them have pools, fenced of course," she says, sending a smile towards the man that had introduced himself as Gregory. "Each house is on two and a half acres, the surrounding park, golf course and wooded areas all belong to the development, so that'll be included once someone signs in as the main property owner."

She shuffles her papers and raises her arms slightly. "That's about it for now, so lets look around."

Natalie pulls on her daddy's pant leg, getting his attention. "Daddy," she says impatiently. "I don' wan' one with a pool," she whispers when she's picked up and settled in the crook of daddy's arm.

"Alright," Goyle says slowly. "Why not?" he finally asks, wondering when Natalie developed a phobia of water.

"Cause, I don' wan' birds in my pool," Natalie says seriously. She leans forward, cupping a hand around daddy's ear and whispers, "They poop in 'em!"

Goyle laughs quietly and nods, flushing slightly when Angela glances at him. "Right, good point. No pool," he agrees, catching up to the group.

Each house has an attached smaller building with a large door (in some cases, 2 large doors). He eyes the large doors warily, unsure what could need such a big entryway. He glances at the papers in his hand and flushes, realizing those must be garages. For cars. He looks around the semi-circle of homes and shrugs seeing everyone gathered at the first one.

They all file into the house, like a little tour group, and his mouth drops in surprise. "Wow," he says softly, looking around the house.

"Like it?" Angela asks, popping up by Goyle's elbow and placing a hand on his elbow when she realizes she's startled him. "Sorry," she smiles, looking up at him since she barely even comes up to his armpit. "As you can see, the interior is quite impressive," she chirps happily, waving a hand around the light marble floors and fireplace.

"It's very nice," Goyle says, giving her a small smile and moving along to look at the house. He wanders into the kitchen, the number of muggle appliances making his eyes widen. He looks up as Billy wheels in, an impressed whistle coming from the older man again.

"Some place," Billy says, looking around. "Wow, that fridge will hold a lot of beer," he says happily, rolling over to open the large, shiny appliance.

After another few moments of looking through the house, they all wander back to the foyer. "So?" Seth asks, looking around before looking up and staring at a small chandelier hanging from a recessed alcove. "Do they all look the same, or what?" he asks Angela when she clicks into the foyer behind Leah.

"Pretty much. Color schemes will differ slightly, and some floor plans are just reversed, but this is what they all look like," Angela says.

"Good," Seth and Neville say at the same time, sharing a grin. "No offense, but these places are huge, I couldn't take going through five more," Seth says with an apologetic shrug. "All of them have four rooms, too, right?"

"Yes, master bathroom, with en suite, on the ground floor," Angela says with a smile towards Billy. She winks playfully when he grins up at her. "Ah, I think that's about it. So," she says, leading the group back outside and pauses in the driveway. "What do you guys think?" She hides a grin when they all look at each other.

"I love it," Leah gushes, grabbing Neville's hand. "Did you see that fucking tub?" she asks Neville, her eyebrows up and her eyes excited. "Fuck," she whispers, just imagining two people fitting easily in that monster. It isn't as large as the one in her room at Harry's, but still big enough to fit more than one person.

"I did," Neville agrees, amused.

"Alright, uhm, so..." Leah pauses, tapping her chin. "I don't know when we can let you know for sure, the boys aren't back 'til next week."

Angela waves a hand, smiling. "Not a problem. I have a feeling you'll be calling me, so I won't worry about it. How was the wedding, by the way?" she asks. She'd been shocked to receive an invitation and really hated to say no but a previously planned seminar kept her from going. After the description Draco gave of his and Harry's fiancés, she'd really wanted to meet them.

"It was beautiful," Leah says softly, surprising everyone. Her eyes clear from the far-away look and she glares a moment later, catching the shocked looks. "Oh, fuck off, you bastards. It _was_."

Seth snickers. "I know it was, it's just weird to hear _you_ say it." He laughs, ducking Leah's swatting hand. "Did they invite you?" he asks the small blonde, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yes, but I couldn't make it. It was really sweet of them to invite me."

Goyle chuckles, unsurprised. "That's how Harry is." He shrugs, shifting Natalie in his arms. He sighs and sets her down when she wiggles. "Stay where I can see you," he says sternly, getting an understanding nod from his daughter.

"Alright," Angela says with a soft clap. "Other than the layout, what you see is what you get."

Billy whistles again. "So, the fence circles the entire property?"

"Yes," Angela says, flipping through her papers and holds up the seventh set of keys. "This is for the main building. It's like an office pretty much, some storage and various maintenance stations. Since you're interested in the whole lot, you'll have this as well."

She looks around, a smile on her face. "So, one big ol' happy family, huh?"

Billy laughs and nods. "Something like that," he says with a grin. At Angela's confused expression, he leans forward and winks at the blonde. "Extended family now."

"Ah," Angela says with a smile and a nod. "Well, that's really great. Not a lot of families stick together like that."

~oOo~

"Harry!"

"Hm?"

"Did you seriously eat the entire mini-bar?" Jake asks incredulously, eyeing the empty shelves. He'd even finished off the bag of salt and vinegar chips—or crisps as Harry refers to them. The only things left are tiny bottles of liquor, which he wouldn't bother even if he wanted to.

Silence greets Jake's question and he shakes his head with a smile. Conflicting thoughts have his hands burying into his hair with a sigh. Everything in there is ridiculously over-priced but the increase in Harry's appetite has him nearly crying with relief and happiness.

He eases over towards the bathroom door, relief flooding through him again when he only hears soft splashes of Harry moving around in the bathtub.

"Erm... I might've," Harry mumbles, knowing Jake can hear him, especially since he's sure his husband is standing on the other side of the door.

"Ah, well. Bummer. I wanted to try those jalapeño peanuts," Jake says as he chuckles before he heads over to the bed and stretches out, content to wait for Harry. He'd nearly barged in and jumped in the water with Harry a few times, and he knows Harry won't mind, but the whole reason Harry is in the bath is to relax and soak away the long day. They'd finally gotten to the beach and it had been beautiful.

A goofy smile grows on his face.

They had been completely clichéd, love struck idiots; walking along the beach holding hands and watching the sunset. Corny yes, but it was still something he enjoyed immensely and he didn't regret being a complete romance cliché. There had been a small boardwalk and he'd shown Harry the wonders of corn-dogs. He'd had to avert his eyes when Harry drenched his in mayonnaise and ketchup.

He eases off the bed and knocks on the door. "You alright in there?" he asks, noticing it's been almost a half hour. He stiffens when he hears a soft sniffle and opens the door, sighing with relief when it opens.

"Are you mad at me?" Harry asks, hiding his face under a washcloth. He sniffles again, grimacing at how obvious it is that he's crying. Again. He wouldn't blame Jake if he was upset with him. He'd eaten well over $150 of snack foods, barely thinking of Jake's interest in any of it. He'd been nearly powerless to stop once the first tiny bag of crisps had settled his stomach.

"Not at all," Jake says, kneeling down next to the tub and gently pulling the washcloth off Harry's face. He smiles and cups one wet cheek, gently stroking his thumb along one damp cheekbone before leaning forward and softly kissing Harry.

"Are you sure?" Harry asks, narrowing his eyes at Jake. He carefully looks Jake over and huffs when he doesn't detect a hint of anything even close to upset. "Sorry," he mumbles, closing his eyes and laying back against the bath pillow.

Jake snorts with amusement and runs the washcloth through the water to warm it up before bringing it up and over Harry's shoulder and neck. He gently scrubs down Harry's chest and stomach. "S'okay," he says quietly.

"Two more days," he says, changing the subject. "What should we do tomorrow?" They've been in Florida for the past four days and it's nice enough to do anything outside without dying from the heat or humid air. "Did you want to see if we can find gators?"

Harry laughs and shakes his head. "After seeing a dragon, an alligator just doesn't seem that impressive." He hums in thought, closing his eyes and ignoring Jake's disgruntled but impressed expression. "What is there to do?"

"Lots of stuff, really," Jake shrugs. "We could check out the park that does movies. That might be cool."

"Ugh, no thanks. All that walking…" Harry wrinkles his nose and gives Jake an apologetic look.

"Fine," Jake says with a chuckle. "Wander around until we find something?" he asks, sliding down the tub and reaching into the hot water to pick up one of Harry's feet and rubbing it gently with the washcloth. He grins at the answering moan and settles more comfortably on the tiles. "I would be happy to stay in the room all day too," he suggests.

Harry cracks an eye open and glares lightly. "I bet you would," he huffs but smiles.

~oOo~

Leah taps her nails on the table in a rhythmic cadence, glaring at her phone. She's called and texted every one of those annoying bastards lounging somewhere on their honeymoons and hasn't received a response yet. How hard is it to pick up their fucking phones and say a simple 'yes' or 'no' or even 'fuck off'... something. She's of a good mind to just let them all make their own ways home, even if they've already planned something themselves.

Ugh. Men.

She gives Leo a quick scritch between his ears, smiling down at her growing cat. He's now big enough to barely fit on her lap. Most times. She'd nearly pissed herself when she saw him shrink down the first time. He'd climbed up to sit on her shoulder, his purring sounding smug and self satisfied somehow.

Quick but light footsteps have her looking up with a smile right before Natalie bursts into the kitchen.

"Hi, auntie Leah," Natalie chirps, climbing onto the chair next to Leah. "Hi, Leo," she says and carefully pets the black kitty. She giggles when Leo nibbles her thumb affectionately and head butts her hand. "May I p'ease have some hot cocoa?"

Leah snorts and rolls her eyes with amusement. She'd stopped hunting down her dad to find out if Natalie's requests were OK to fulfill, or not, after the tenth 'yeah, sure', so she didn't bother asking. The man rarely said no to his daughter unless it was really important. A simple mug of hot cocoa isn't anything major so Leah just shrugs.

"Sure, squirt. Marshmallows?"

"Duh," Natalie rolls her eyes right back and giggles. Aunt Leah is fun and doesn't yell at her when she makes jokes back. "Oops, I mean, yes p'ease," she corrects herself hastily.

Leah gets up, snickering, and sets Leo on the floor before she gets two mugs down. "That's a good idea, I'm gonna have some, too." She notices Leo saunter out of the kitchen with a shake of her head. She almost misses his clingy phase.

Natalie twists in her chair to watch aunt Leah make her hot cocoa, her little brows wrinkling in confusion. "Why don' you just make it wif magic?"

Leah turns slightly and winks at the little girl. "I don't use magic, I gotta do it this way," she says pouring hot water into two mugs and stirring in the powdered cocoa. She shrugs, "I could get Neville to do it but he's outside playing in the dirt."

"Is he allowed?" Natalie asks, her eyes wide. Daddy didn't like her playing in the dirt, especially if she was wearing one of her nice robes or dresses. Maybe uncle Neville will let her play in the dirt with him?

"Yeah, he's allowed. It's his job and hobby," Leah says with a fond smile, setting a mug in front of Natalie. "Be careful, okay? Blow on it first," she warns, giving Natalie a spoon.

Natalie giggles and carefully grips her spoon. "'kay. What's a hobby?" she asks, fishing around for her floating marshmallows with her spoon.

"Something you like to do. Like when you color or read your magic books," Leah says with a soft smile.

"Ohhh," Natalie says, her focus mostly on spooning her marshmallows out of her cocoa and eating them before they all melt. She makes a noise of triumph when she sucks the last one off her spoon and grins at Leah, a sticky chocolate mess around her mouth.

"When are uncle Harry, uncle Jake, uncle Draco and uncle Joe coming back?" Natalie asks a moment later. She misses her uncles and wishes they were here to have hot cocoa, too. Uncle Draco always charms her marshmallows into dragons or lions.

"Tomorrow, squirt," Leah says and fluffs the little girl's curls. "Aren't I good enough?" she teases.

"Oh, yeah! I like you lots," Natalie says earnestly. "I just miss my uncles, they fun." She climbs up to her knees and leans over, sipping her hot cocoa from the rim of her mug with a loud slurping noise. She giggles when aunt Leah lifts her mug and does the same thing. "I wanna say hi to the baby, too" she adds, sticking a finger in her cocoa and licking it off.

Leah snorts her hot cocoa in surprise and wipes her mouth with a napkin. She didn't think they'd told Natalie about the baby yet. A giddy feeling bubbles up in her before she can squish it and she giggles with Natalie, happy no one else is there to witness it. After she got over the complete weirdness of the fact, she was really happy for Jake and Harry. She wants to gush like a stupid girl when she imagines how cute their kid will be.

"You know about the baby, huh?"

"Yup," Natalie chirps. "I saw her. She's really small but really pretty."

Leah gapes at the little girl and nearly dribbles hot cocoa down her chin. "Really," she says blankly.

"Uh huh. Me an' auntie Luna saw her together," Natalie says matter-of-factly before licking the inner rim of her mug to get the remaining chocolate. "Would daddy let me play with her?"

"Uh, not for awhile. Babies are small and have to grow first," Leah says absently.

"Oh. Poo. Well, maybe Teddy can visit again?" Natalie asks, her focus on Leah now. She really likes Teddy. He's nice and fun and his hair turns all sorts of fun colors! She tried to get hers to change but it wouldn't.

Leah pauses, no idea what to say. "Sure," she finally agrees before the pleading expression on Natalie's face can turn to tears. She'll just have to tell Harry to get Little Man back for a visit, not that it would be much of a problem since she noticed Teddy's room hadn't been changed.

"You liked Teddy, huh?" Leah asks teasingly, poking Natalie's belly.

Natalie giggles and covers her cheeks with her hands. "Yeah," she whispers. "But-" she pauses before standing up in her chair and bouncing up and down with happy squeals. "Uncle Neville!"

"Hi, Natalie," Neville says with a smile at the little girl. He leans down and gives Leah a brief kiss on the corner of her mouth. They both roll their eyes when Natalie makes kissy noises and giggles at them. "Are you being good?" he asks in a playful tone before heading to the sink to wash the mud and grime from his hands. Cleansing charms just didn't get all the dirt properly.

"Yah, I'm bein' good," Natalie declares, holding her arms out and wiggling her fingers in a bid to be picked up. She giggles when Neville scoops her up once his hands are clean. "Where's your baby?" she asks Neville, tilting her head a little to one side.

Neville and Leah both make a choking noise. "Baby?" Neville chokes out, looking at Leah with shocked confusion.

Natalie giggles and bounces in Neville's arms. "I was jus' wonderin'. Aren't you supposed to have a baby?" she asks, confused.

"Not yet," Leah answers when she has her voice back. "Don't rush me, squirt," she teases and pokes the little girl.

Natalie giggles again, wiggling away from Leah's poking finger. "Otay, otay!" she cries, leaning against Neville for protection. "Can we get pizza?" she asks, already over babies. Even if daddy was still adjusting to 'muggle food', she absolutely loves it. Pizza is her favorite, so far.

Leah and Neville nod absently, wishing they could dismiss the topic as easily.

~oOo~

Joe runs his fingers down Draco's spine, smiling as he shivers lightly against him. This is their last night before they head back home and he's feeling like a big ass wuss. He's been meaning to talk to Draco but he keeps losing his nerve. The first week they had barely left their hotel room, having to skip part of their itinerary; between his crazy energy after the wedding and Draco's later insane horniness.

It wasn't until last week that Joe stopped halfway through a lavish dinner out, his fork paused on it way to his mouth, when he realized they hadn't done a single thing about protection. He'd hid a smile at the thought, not knowing if Draco would freak out or not.

The last time Draco practically attacked him like a cat in heat, it hadn't been a problem since they'd only just consummated their bond so conception hadn't been all that possible.

He doesn't realize he'd been wiggling his leg, lost in his thoughts, until Draco's hand slides down and presses against the offending movement as he mutters "What?"

"Nothing," Joe says quickly, grimacing when he feels Draco shift to glare up at him. He smiles, even in the face of an annoyed Draco, at his husband's disheveled state. His pale hair is sticking up nearly as bad as Harry's, his lids still only half open and his face still lightly flushed from their earlier activities.

"I swear to Merlin, I will pluck you bald if you pull that. _What?_ " Draco repeats, smirking when Joe flinches at his threat. He just wants to sleep but he can tell something is on Joe's mind. He can't fall asleep knowing that, now can he? No. "Well?" he asks, softer this time as he sees a rare flash of unease go across Joe's face.

Joe sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as his eyes close briefly. "I didn't mean to fidget and bother you," he tries.

"Sure," Draco scoffs, leaning up on an elbow to look at Joe better. "I'm not bothered by the fidgeting. I'm bothered by what's _causing_ the fidgeting," he clarifies running a hand down Joe's arm, his voice soft to show his concern.

A smile grows on Joe's face at the tone, much to his own annoyance. "Well, uh... I just realized something that might upset you." His only response is a pale eyebrow rising slightly. "At least, I think it might. But, uh... I'm not sure."

"What the bloody hell are you going on about?" Draco asks with a chuckle.

"We didn't use protection," Joe blurts out, eyes widening slightly as Draco's face pales. "I just realized it... and well, uh, I didn't know how bad that was." He swallows thickly as he watches Draco's eyes slide closed and his head droop between his shoulders. "Really bad, then," he finishes lamely, something clenching uncomfortably, almost painfully, in his chest.

"No, not bad... just... fuck!"

"What?" Joe asks, sitting up straighter, watching Draco carefully. "C'mon, we haven't talked about this before and I... I really regret that."

"Why?"

"Because! It's an important fucking detail, Draco," Joe says, trying not to sound angry. He isn't, not really; he's frustrated and slightly pissed at himself for not bringing it up before. "This-" He says waving a hand between the two of them with a small smile, "would have happened, no matter what. I'm just annoyed I didn't bring it up before." He's not sure what he'd do if Draco didn't want to have kids. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but dammit, he wants so badly.

"Bring what up?" Draco whispers, but already knowing.

"Kids," Joe says simply. "I didn't want to push, I didn't want to force the issue. Fuck, we're young and _just_ got married but it's something I want. Eventually. Don't you?" he asks, looking intently at his husband, watching closely. Draco rarely closes himself off, especially to him, but he's scared this will be one of those times it might happen.

He sighs softly with relief when he clearly sees apprehension, unsureness, a little fear and then a little hope and excitement.

"I do," Draco admits quietly, snuggling closer to Joe and smiling when a strong arm immediately closes around him and squeezes. "I just... I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can," Joe says, sounding incredulous. "You can do any-fucking-thing you want to."

Draco chuckles softly and gently strokes along Joe's chest. "Thanks, love," he whispers. "But I mean... I don't know how I'd be as a parent. You know what my parents were like." He sighs, closing his eyes when he feels Joe's body tense. He usually holds that fear deep down but it is his only real reservation about having children. He doesn't know if he would be able to raise his children differently than he was raised. He doesn't want his children to ever question his love for them like he'd had to as a child.

"I do," Joe says quietly. He couldn't bring himself to hate Draco's parents but he still feels very relieved he's never met them. They both sounded so cold and indifferent, he doesn't know if he'd be able to behave respectfully towards them. "I honestly can't see you being the same way," he adds, hoping that is the problem. They'd have a rather big fight on their hands if Draco agreed with that kind of shit and wanted to pass it on to their kids. Seeing how Draco interacted with Teddy and Natalie, he's quite sure that won't be an issue, though.

"Really?" Draco asks, hopeful. He leans up again to look at Joe.

"Really," Joe answers, cupping Draco's cheek. "Look, maybe you would've at some point, but I just can't see it now. You're warm, loving, nurturing, caring..." He smiles as Draco's cheeks pink with embarrassed pleasure. "And sexy as fuck."

Draco laughs, smacking Joe's chest lightly. "Being 'sexy as fuck' is not a parental requirement."

"Maybe not, but it really, really helps in _becoming_ a parent," Joe says with a cheesy grin and wiggling his eyebrows lewdly. He laughs when Draco rolls his eyes at his lame innuendo and squeezes his hand tightly. "Well, now that that's covered. Uhm, do we wait or no?" he asks, that tight feeling vanishing and being replaced with cautious optimism.

Draco pauses before he shrugs one shoulder. "Honestly? I don't care. I don't see the point in waiting, but if it happens, it happens. I just..." he trails off, eyes downcast.

"What?"

Draco huffs with annoyance, over the conversation. "I just wish it would be sooner rather than later, you know?" he mutters, glaring when Joe starts laughing.

"Ow!" Joe hisses after being slapped again, harder than last time. "I'm agreeing with you! I was jealous when I heard about Harry..."

"Me too," Draco admits quietly. "I would never begrudge him that, though. He's... he's always wanted a family. But I was surprised I felt a sting of jealousy," he says, his eyes slightly wide with his confession.

He'd been absolutely stunned by his reaction that night as he climbed into bed with Joe, his mind on Harry's impending pregnancy. He hadn't ever expected to feel anything but joy for his best friend's good news. The joy was there, of course, but the underlying jealousy had thrown him.

Joe grimaces slightly, "I felt like a real ass when he asked me if I was pissed at him. He noticed..."

Draco scowls down at Joe for a moment before sighing. "You did let him know the truth, right?"

"Of course I did," Joe answers, slightly offended. "For one thing, I couldn't stand the look on his face," he says with a soft smile. "I swear, he could get off on murder charges with that pout and those boo-boo eyes alone." He grins when Draco chuckles, nodding in agreement. "And for another, I don't want Jake tearing into me for hurting Harry," he says, seriously.

He has no intention of ever finding out how protective Jake would be, even towards him, over a pregnant Harry. He shudders slightly at the thought.

"Ha! That would be rather entertaining."

"You asshole!" Joe huffs, pushing Draco off of him with a playful shove.

Draco chuckles and flops back down onto Joe's chest. "Not Jake tearing into your perky arse, I meant Jake going all crazy on someone. I've never seen him do more than frown at someone."

Joe snorts with amusement. "Trust me, he's the Alpha for a reason, love."

"I trust you, I just... Ah, no, I get your point," Draco concedes, thinking of Harry. Harry is very similar; people take in his generally happy aura and smaller stature and underestimate him. Draco had been smart enough to only do that once. It's not a surprise at all to think Jake would be the same, being the perfect match and all that.

"Anyway, you do realize there is a very good chance we're not talking just hypothetically," he finally murmurs, his mind on their earlier conversation.

"What?" Joe mumbles against Draco's hair, his eyes already drifting closed with sleep, exhaustion easily catching up with him now that his mind is settled.

Draco rolls his eyes, smiling fondly against Joe's chest. "Kids. Us having them," he clarifies with a smirk.

"What?" Joe says again, blinking rapidly.

Draco sucks his teeth and smacks Joe's chest. "Oh, for the love of...! There's a good chance it's now," he says, glaring up at Joe, willing him to understand.

For the week after their bonding ceremony, they'd barely left their suite. Another smirk grows on his face; they'd taken breaks eat, sleep, and shower. Once, they'd left the room to buy a container of Muggle lube when Draco got tired of conjuring it. And that was about it.

"What?" Joe asks again, sitting up as his eyes widen, sleep no longer a threat for the moment.

Draco rolls his eyes. "I've shagged you stupid," he mutters under his breath fondly before he glares up at Joe again. "We've been at it like rabbits, no charms or anything and... Well, I haven't checked but it's a very good chance I'm... Er. You know."

"Pregnant."

"Ugh, yes," Draco huffs. Merlin, did he have to say it? Now he knows how Harry felt when he kept saying it like it was nothing. He watches Joe carefully, relief making his shoulders sag when Joe's face nearly splits with a smile. "I guess that's acceptable news, then?"

Joe nods rapidly. "Fuck yeah," he whispers and drags Draco up his chest to kiss him. He leans back and brushes some stray hair from Draco's eyes with a gentle sweep of his fingers. "I know you aren't sure but even if you're not, it's... I'm so - I'm just glad we're on the same page with this."

"Yeah," Draco agrees softly. "I don't know when I can work up the courage to check though," he admits with a shaky laugh.

Joe just shakes his head and squeezes Draco tightly. "Don't worry about it, okay? Forget about it. Check when you think you need to. Okay?"

Draco nods, yawing widely. "Right, sound advice," he murmurs as his eyes slide closed.

~oOo~

Harry stumbles out of the floo, as usual, as they land in the foyer. He smiles up at Jake when he feels a strong, warm arm wrap around his chest to right him. "Thanks." He huffs quietly, rubbing his upset stomach, "I hate apparating."

Jake nods, setting down their suitcase and looks around the hallway. "I'm with you," he says, ignoring his own sickly flipping stomach. "It's really cool and all but I don't know how people don't puke all the time."

Harry snorts, "I nearly did the first time." He looks up when he hears footsteps. "Ah, about time, I was starting to think no one missed us."

"Uncle Harry!" Natalie cries, running down the hallway and launching herself at Harry. She giggles when uncle Harry scoops her up and tickles her belly. "Uncle Jake!" she says turning in Harry's arms slightly and throwing her arms around Jake's neck. "I missed yous!"

Jake chuckles and kisses Natalie's cheek. "We missed you, too."

Natalie bounces slightly in Harry's arms, looking between her uncles. "Did you bring me anyfing?" she asks eagerly.

"We did!" Harry says with a laugh.

"Natalie! It's not polite to ask for gifts!" Goyle chides, walking into the hallway and giving his daughter a stern look. He gives Harry and Jake a sheepish smile and shakes their hands. "Hey, welcome back. Nice trip?"

Harry and Jake share a look before nodding with happy smiles. "Yeah, but it's really nice to be home," Harry says with a sigh.

"What did you bring me?" Natalie asks, bouncing again, not liking being left out and ignored.

"Natalie!"

"Sorry," Natalie says softly, hiding her face in Harry's neck.

Harry just chuckles, rubbing a hand along Natalie's back. He isn't at all upset at Natalie's enthusiasm, loving her happiness. Even if her father didn't appreciate her lack of manners at times, Harry loves seeing such a happy child. "It's alright, but you have to stop listening to aunt Leah," he says with a grin when Natalie giggles.

"Where is everyone?" he asks Goyle.

Goyle shrugs. "Watching a movie? I'm not sure." He'd been reading with Natalie when he heard the crack in the hallway and had to race after his daughter.

"Jake! Harry!" Seth shouts, rushing down the hallway. "Welcome home, guys! How was your trip?" he asks with a grin.

"You're still all pale," Leah points out with a smirk, dragging Neville along behind her and ignoring his squeak.

Jake just grins, pulling Harry flush against him. "It was great and no," he says, looking at Leah with a smirk, "we didn't spend a lot of time in the sun." He winks, at no one in particular. While they did spent a fair amount of time in their room, he'd been nearly obsessive in covering Harry with sunscreen when they went out and most of their four days in Paris had been overcast or rainy.

Leah, noticing Natalie watching the conversation with rapt attention, decides to be a pervert later and just grins at the couple. "Well, that's good. I wasn't sure when you guys were coming home. Seeing as how you didn't answer a single text or phone call."

Harry blushes, "Sorry, we turned our phones off."

"Ah," Leah says, no longer annoyed. She'd probably do the same damn thing when faced with days alone with Neville. "No problem then," she says, waving a hand dismissively. "Hungry? We were just about to call for some Chinese."

"Yeah," Harry says, setting Natalie down on the floor. He smiles when she immediately grabs onto Jake's legs, prompting his husband to lower his hands and grab Natalie's so she can climb up his front. "You know what I like, right?"

Everyone, even Gloria, all smile and nod, looking at Jake. "Yeah," Leah says with a grin.

"Erm," Harry says, fighting a blush. "I meant food."

Leah snorts and grins again. "Then nope," she says, popping the 'p'. "You've been all weird about what you want to eat. Go unpack and relax," she says, making shooing motions at Jake and Harry. "We're calling in like an hour so, you can sort out what you want later."

Jake lets Natalie do another flip before he hands her to her dad. "Done," he says, grabbing Harry and heading upstairs. "Let us know when you order," he says just before they disappear upstairs.

"In a hurry?" Harry asks, amused.

"Sorta. I wanna call some healers and see how soon they can see you," Jake answers absently, already going through the contacts on his phone. He'd done some research on his own and the wizarding community that was close-by has 6 healers. He has no idea which one will be the best, so he's going to call them all.

Harry hums, unpacking their bag and re-sizing everything. He focuses on unpacking, letting Jake's voice fade into the background. He should probably be annoyed to have the decision out of his hands, but he's enjoying Jake's help. He wants Jake involved and he really can't see going to a healer that Jake doesn't approve of.

"Thanks," Jake says, ending the call and steps over to wrap his arms around Harry's middle, resting his chin on Harry's shoulder. "We've got an appointment in an hour."

"An hour?" Harry asks, gobsmacked. He was expecting tomorrow at the earliest.

"Yeah, the second guy, Smith or something, was available and has some experience with... uh, our situation."

"Oh," Harry says, relaxing against Jake, sighing softly as Jake's hands slide down his chest and belly. "Shouldn't we leave now then? It takes over an hour to get out there."

"Nah, he's coming here. I told him our address so he's gonna 'pop' by. You can tell when people do that, right?"

Harry nods, humming softly. Merlin, Jake's hands are magic. "Yeah," he murmurs, eyes closing as he rests his head backnagainst Jake's shoulder. "They can't get closer than the end of the driveway unless I allow them closer. I'll feel it."

"That is so cool," Jake remarks, grinning. He turns Harry, kissing him soundly. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry says. "Really." He rolls his eyes when Jake narrows his eyes slightly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I wasn't expecting it so soon."

Jake chuckles and kisses down Harry's neck, his hands resting on his hips. "Well, get over it," he says pulling away. "If he's not completely creepy, you'll just have to get used to it."

Harry rolls his eyes and rests his cheek against Jake's chest with a happy sigh. "If I must," he mutters. "C'mon," he says after they just stand there together for long moments, "I wanna give everyone their gifts," he says, excitedly.

"Alright, alright," Jake huffs, letting Harry move away and gather the only bag that he hasn't un-shrunk. He follows Harry, grinning at his husband's bouncy steps, looking forward to everyone's reactions as well.

"I hope we got the right sizes," Harry thinks out loud, heading into the kitchen. "I mean, I can re-size everything, but still..." he trails off, biting his lip nervously. What if no one liked what they got them? Oh Merlin, what if they didn't spend enough? He's nearly into a full blown tizzy when Jake runs a calming hand through his hair. He looks up and smiles, silently thanking Jake for his actions.

"Uncle Harry!" Natalie cries, running into the kitchen. "Yay! Presents!" she says, bouncing on her toes when she sees the bag in Harry's hand.

"Ah ah ah," Jake says, fighting a laugh. "Should you rephrase that?"

"Oh, ehm," Natalie pauses, her face scrunching up in concentration. Oh! "May I p'ease have my present?"

Harry laughs and pulls a pink bag from the bigger bag, un-shrinking it with a wave of his wand. As the bag grows, so does Natalie's eyes. She sidles closer, her eyes on the now large bag. "Go ahead," he says, waving a hand towards the bag.

"Yay!" Natalie says again, grabbing the bag and sitting on the floor, nearly disappearing into the large bag to pull out all the goodies inside. A ruffly pink shirt with a glittery cartoon mouse - the girl one! she notices happily - on the front makes her squeal with delight. A plushie of the same cartoon character follows. She hugs both to her chest, tucking them under one arm as she continues in her digging.

By the time the bag is finally empty, she's surrounded by more plushies, coloring and reading books, and cute t-shirts from every place they went. "Wow," she whispers, standing carefully still clutching her favorite toy. "Thank you uncle Harry," she says, hugging his legs. "Thank you uncle Jake," she says and hugs his legs too, squealing with laughter when he reaches down and throws her in the air before catching her.

"You're welcome, pumpkin," Harry says, discretely wiping a tear from his eye with the back of his hand. He has no idea why Natalie's wonder and happiness are making him tear up but he can't seem to help it. "I'm glad you like everything."

"I do!" Natalie says with an enthusiastic nod as she squeezes her stuffed mouse. She plays with the pink bow in between the ears and giggles. "Can I come wif you next time?"

Harry and Jake share a look before they shrug, "Sure," Jake answers. "It's a good place for kids. Should we bring Teddy, too?" he asks, knowing the answer.

Natalie giggles and bounces in Jake's arms with enthusiasm. "Yeah! We haveta bring Teddy, too!" she agrees. "And the baby!"

Harry chuckles. Just before they'd left on their honeymoon, Natalie had heard about the baby and he's not surprised to see her so excited. "Well, we'd have to wait a long time if we bring the baby."

"Oh," Natalie says, her brows drawing together. She really wants the baby to have fun but she doesn't want to wait forever, either. She sighs, fiddling with the bow on her plushie. "Maybe we can go again with the baby, later?" she asks shrewdly, fluttering her eyelashes and peeking up through them in a way she knows is hard to resist.

"Wow," Jake says, impressed and looks at Harry. He's not at all surprised to see Harry nodding, completely taken in by Natalie's manipulations. "Oh, geez," he mutters under his breath before setting Natalie down, patting her butt towards the door. "We'll see. Go get uncle Seth, okay?"

Natalie runs out of the kitchen, her plushie and frilly t-shirt still tucked under one arm.

"Wow," Jake says again, shaking his head and wrapping an arm around Harry's waist to bring him flush against his side. "I almost dread the super powers our kid is going to have," he says, chuckling.

Harry nods, his eyes still wide. "I know, we're doomed. I can't- Oh!" he jumps, his hand flapping. "The healer is here."

Jake just nods and heads out of the kitchen after planting a kiss to the top of Harry's head. He pops his head back in with a grin when he realizes Harry isn't following. "Well, let's go. I'm not the one he's here to see."

Harry follows after Jake, blushing slightly with embarrassment. He follows Jake down the driveway and his blush comes back with force when he sees the healer waiting for them. "You didn't say it was a woman," he whispers, pulling on Jake's sleeve.

"I didn't know," Jake says with a shrug. "What's the difference?" he asks, raising an eyebrow and looking down at an embarrassed Harry.

Harry looks away, willing his cheeks to cool down. How can he explain why he is so embarrassed? He doesn't know how the healer will react to his situation and it's rather embarrassing to have a _girl_ peeking at his bits. "None, I guess," he finally says.

"Hi," Healer Smith says, extending her hand towards the two men walking towards her. "Healer Charlotte Smith." She looks between the two and can't immediately tell which one she's here to see. Both are quite handsome and she has to fight a blush and remind herself she's a professional.

She looks up at the taller one, smiling and nodding when he introduces himself as 'Jacob Black'. She turns to the shorter one, and nearly gasps. "Oh, shit!" she blurts out, slapping a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with mortification. "Oh my... I'm sorry! That was so rude!"

Harry smiles, his awkwardness abating a bit when the healer blushes and fumbles through an apology. "It's fine," he says softly.

"Oh, but... wow. Harry Potter."

"Harry Black," Harry corrects, stressing his married name slightly, with a smile and leans against Jake, offering his hand. His bonding tattoo flashes briefly, catching the healer's attention.

"Oh!" Charlotte smiles and claps her hands together, her eyes flicking upwards -obviously looking for the infamous scar- for the briefest moment before she takes the offered hand. "I'm really sorry, I should not be acting like some prepubescent fangirl," she says, flushing. She looks between the two men, relieved she only sees slight amusement and not annoyance or anger. "I would understand if you'd prefer another healer."

"Nah," Jake says with a wave of a hand. "We'll decide that after you've seen him."

Harry nods. He isn't thrilled at the initial reaction but healer Smith's quick response and apology is appreciated and he hopes it's a good sign. "Sorry for making you meet us out here," he says, as they walk back towards the house.

"Oh, it's quite alright. I wouldn't expect any less," Charlotte says earnestly. "So, my notes say I'm here for a check-up?"

"Yes," Jake says, overriding anything Harry is going to say and leads the healer into the den. As soon as Harry shuts the doors, Charlotte has her wand out and taps her palm with it thoughtfully. "And just so you know," Jake pauses, making sure he has the healer's full attention. "I'm very possessive and very short tempered when it comes to my Harry. Understood?"

"Y-yes," Charlotte answers, feeling the powerful energy around Jake for the first time. Even if she can't place it, she has no intention of harming or compromising Harry. "I completely understand. I took an oath to treat my patients and I don't take that lightly, Mister Black."

"Jacob."

Charlotte nods. "Jacob." She turns to Harry, smiling softly at his nervous expression. "Now then, how are we, Harry?"

Harry fidgets slightly and sits on a chaise. "I'm fine."

Charlotte hums and slowly approaches Harry. "I'm going to run a few tests, alright?" When Harry nods, she glances at Jake briefly and waves her wand over Harry. She gets a blank file folder and a charmed quill, placing both on the chaise next to Harry. "Any concerns or issues?"

"I'm about a month pregnant," Harry says softly. His shoulders relax when the healer only nods thoughtfully, her quill jumping up and making notes as her wand hovers over him.

"Anything else?" Healer Smith asks. Looking between the two men, she wants to gush like a fangirl again when they give each other soft, besotted smiles.

"Nope," Jake says, leaning against the wall closest to the chaise Harry is sitting on. "Are you comfortable with that?"

Charlotte blinks at Jake. "Sure, Jacob. I've dealt with quite a few male pregnancies. I'm not an expert, not many healers bother specializing in it since it's not nearly as common, but I'm completely at ease with handling any issues that come with it."

Harry chuckles, leaning over and grabbing Jake's hand. "Calm down, love. She's a healer, alright? Let her do her job."

"Fine," Jake says after a moment of looking Charlotte up and down, his gaze assessing. "As you were."

Charlotte chuckles and continues, waving her wand in complicated patterns. Various lights surround Harry in different areas of his body and in different colors. She smiles at the purple one that lingers around his stomach. "Even though you already confirmed, you are indeed pregnant."

"What _else_ can you tell us?" Jake asks, not meaning to sound rude but wanting to know. He has no idea about anything the healer has done so far or what it means. What does each light mean? What has she checked for?

"Well, Harry, you're in excellent health," she says. She eyes his face, wondering when he'd done away with his glasses. "I will be taking blood, but that will be painless and non-intrusive," she explains, pulling a few blood tubes from her bag. A spell later and the tubes started to fill with Harry's blood, one by one.

Jake watches a tube fill, his stomach roiling uncomfortably. He's quite glad the healer didn't have to use needles, but it's still unsettling to see Harry's blood outside of his body. "Can you tell us about the baby?"

"Sure," Charlotte says, tapping the last tube so Harry's information appears on the outside before she puts it in her bag. "What would you like to know?"

"Everything," Harry says, excitedly.

Charlotte chuckles softly and pulls her notes towards her. "Well, you're approximately five weeks pregnant. You're due about June fifth. The baby is healthy and developing normally and of a good size so far. Did you want to know sex?"

Harry and Jake share a look, their hands intertwined tightly. "Um," Jake says, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand. "Can you really tell?" He isn't sure if he wants to know or not. He'd like to know but the surprise might be fun, too.

"I can find out with a quick spell. It's generally not harmful."

Jake barely suppresses a growl. " _Generally_ not harmful?"

"Yes, generally. Sometimes a fetus or patient has an adverse reaction to the spell, but it's rare."

"No thanks," Harry says quickly, overriding any response Jake would be growling. "Is there a less risky way?"

"Sure, but we have to wait until your fourteenth week or so. The other spell works like a Muggle sonogram, much less invasive, so we have to wait until the little one is big enough to see clearly," she says, restraining herself from patting Harry's flat stomach.

Jake's shoulder relax, he shares a look with Harry and nods once. "We'll wait for that one then. Anything else?"

Charlotte looks between the two men again and smiles. "Not really. I'll prescribe some nutrient potions for the nausea, pre-natal vitamins as well. Other than that, you're looking good and I won't have to see you again for another month or so."

"Wow," Harry says softly, looking down at the notes next to him. His entire medical history is quite impressive. Every break, scar and injury is listed and he's grateful the healer is bound to secrecy. He nearly grabs the notes when Jake goes to look at them and he sighs sadly when his husband's eyes darken with anger and his hands clench the paper tightly. "It's fine, love. I'm fine."

Jake forces himself to hand the papers back to the healer. He's reminded of his earlier promise to himself to find Harry's childhood home and after reading the thorough list, including dates and ages, of Harry's medical history, he's not breaking it. "So, are we done?" he asks the healer.

"Yes." Charlotte gathers her things and shakes Jake's hand before laying a careful hand on Harry's belly. "I'm honored to be your healer," she says, honestly. Even if she doesn't know everything about him, she does know who Harry Black (née Potter) is and what he's done for the wizarding world. She watches as the man blushes and fights the urge to coo and pinch his cheeks.

"Unless you call with an issue, I'll come by next month?" she looks between the men, smiling when they both nod. "Great!" She fishes around in her bag for an appointment card, spelling the date and time for the next appointment. "Oh!" she hands Harry a list of potions and vitamins. "Here's what you'll need. All of them are readily available. Take the potion only when needed for nausea and the vitamins daily."

She taps the paper with a finger nail, "Get those as soon as you can," she adds, directing the statement mostly to Jake, having learned rather quickly to appease the nervous father-to-be.

"Alright," Harry says, shaking the healer's hand. "Thank you Healer Smith."

"Charlotte," she says, grinning. "I don't really like being all proper if I don't have to."

Harry smiles and nods, "Fair enough, I'm with you," he agrees chuckling and ignoring Jake's annoyed look. He opens the door, not at all surprised to see a few people waiting in the hallway. "Yes?" he asks with a smirk.

"Uh," Seth says, looking around for help. Neville and Leah both just look away, offering no help at all. "Bastards," he mumbles before looking back at Harry and giving Jake a big grin. "Just bein' nosy. Making sure things are okay."

Charlotte looks towards Jake and Harry, noticing the smirks on their face and just shakes her head. "I'm not at liberty to discuss a patient. Have a lovely day," she says with a final wave towards Jake and Harry. Jake hurries past the crowd to see her out. She glances up at the tall man. "I'll see you next month?" she asks, hoping her request is subtle. She really hopes they stick with her...

"Sure, sure," Jake says, giving her a distracted smile. Harry seemed at ease with her so he doesn't care. "Next month. We got the date, I'll make sure he gets all that... stuff," he adds with a slightly confused look.

"Great, take care of them," she says before apparating away.

Jake just stares at the blank spot the healer stood and smiles. Of course he will. He goes back into the house, rolling his eyes when he can barely see Harry through the crowd of people.

"So?" Leah asks, impatiently tapping her foot.

"Everything's fine," Jake says, shouldering his way past Seth with a huff.

"That's it?" Seth gapes. "You didn't find out anything cool?" he grins when Gloria wanders in the hallway, a look of confusion on her face. "Hey," he says, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "The newlyweds are back," he sing songs.

"Shut up," Jake mutters and rolls his eyes. "And no, nothing cool. I think it's cool enough to know everything is fine," he says with a slight glare.

"Well, yeah," Seth says, a confused look on his face. "I didn't mean that wasn't cool, I meant like..." He waves a hand around for a moment, "A girl or boy, that kinda thing."

Harry flushes and shifts, his attention suddenly on his feet. "We don't know yet. It'll take awhile."

"Oh," everyone seems to say at the same time.

"Alright," Jake says, loudly, interrupting at least two different questions. "When's food?"

"Oh!" Leah takes her phone out. "I nearly forgot! Harry." She waits until he looks up and gives him a small smile. "What do you want to eat?"

Harry shrugs. "I dunno... Anything with chicken? Yeah, maybe some of those little fried things, too. Oh! And an egg-roll," he answers, ticking his answers off on his fingers. "And order for Joe and Draco. They should be here in time."

Leah just nods, hiding a smirk. One good thing about being one big happy group is it got easier to order for everyone. "Natalie," she calls, giggling when the little girl bounds over in hops. "You still like the noodles?"

Natalie nods. "Wifout brocc'li."

"I'm with you kid," Lean mutters and wanders off to place the order.

Harry shifts nervously. "Did any of you call Angela?"

Seth nods, a wide grin on his face. "We did. The place is fantastic, man! You should see it!"

"Oh," Harry says, fighting to sound positive. "That's brilliant. I guess you all are going to go?"

"Well, yeah," Seth says before nearly biting his tongue. He didn't notice the crestfallen look on Harry's face, but now that he does he feels like an asshole. "I mean, yeah, there's plenty of room for everyone and it's pretty close by."

"How close?" Jake asks, running a hand down Harry's back.

Seth shrugs. "'bout ten minutes or so, right Glor?" He's pretty sure the same woods border both properties and figures as a wolf, he could run here in 5.

"Yes," Gloria says softly, trying not to stare as Harry gets his emotions under control. She just wants to hug him. "Real close, we'll probably be over often, mooching dinner and such," she says, feeling better when she gets a watery smile.

Jake chuckles and nods. "So, all of you then?"

"Yeah, well it just seems to work out that way," Seth says carefully. "For everyone, ya know?"

"Yeah," Harry says trying not to sniffle. Merlin, he feels like such a baby. "No, it makes sense and I'm glad you lot found somewhere you like."

Gloria nods and shyly reaches out to clasp Harry's hand, smiling softly when he squeezes back. "It's lovely, you should come see it."

"Sure, sure," Jake answers. "Of course." He doesn't really want to be an ass and mention that Harry would be paying for it, so of course he'd look at it. "Well, before we get distracted again," he says, reaching into the bag they'd abandoned earlier. "We got you guys some things, too."

Seth takes the bag dangling from Jake's hand. "Thanks! Aw, how cute," he says and chuckles at the t-shirt. He pulls out a matching one in pink for Gloria. "You nerds." He laughs when Harry and Jake both just nod with goofy grins. "Very nice, thanks." He smiles when Gloria murmurs her thanks as well.

"Well, while we're waiting for the other boys and the food, did you take pictures?" Leah asks, walking back towards the group.

"Yes," Harry says with a grin and takes out his camera with a flourish. "Over five hundred."

A round of groans makes him grin again and nearly skip towards the TV, happy to show off the numerous pictures. It might not have been 500 but it sure was fun to see their reaction. He smirks when everyone flops down in various seats and waves the camera at Seth to hook it up to the TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I'm probably not going to go into any real in-depth detail on the male pregnancy thing, so please don't expect a whole lot of medical jargon or anything explicit. hehe_


	17. Chapter 17

Draco looks up at the large white house he's called home for the past few months and sighs happily. It's been fun and exciting to travel but he's missed everyone and the comforts of home. Just remembering his bed has him nearly purring and twitching for a nap.

He looks around and is pleased to see the explosion of colors surrounding the house. Autumn has truly started and he inhales deeply. A few pumpkins, in various sizes and colors, and corn stalks litter the front of the house. It takes him a moment to realize he's looking at decorations.

"Good to be home," Joe says, squeezing Draco when he nods in agreement, and leads him towards the door.

They'd kept their transportation to muggle means until they got to the airport. Draco, in a very expected fit, refused to get into another car or 'bloody muggle contraption' and apparated them straight home the moment they'd found somewhere deserted enough to risk it. He's sure it was equal parts of Draco wanting to be home sooner and tired of being cooped up.

He absently rubs his stomach and he agrees wholeheartedly with Harry and Jake; apparating sucks the big one.

"I hope there's dinner," Draco says absently as he rubs a hand over his rumbling stomach. The last time he remembers eating was breakfast this morning. The meal on the plane had been... unappealing.

He glances up at Joe, smiling when he gets a grunt of agreement. Joe still looks a bit peaky from apparating and he feels a bit bad. He's never had a problem with it and he forgets he's in the minority of people completely unaffected by the nauseating pull and later jarring of landing.

He grins when the door is jerked open. He'd been wondering when Harry would notice the wards twanging with their arrival.

"Draco! Joe!"

Joe and Draco both laugh with delighted amusement as Harry bounds out of the door and towards them, his arms stretched wide and waving a bit. Draco drops his arm from around Joe and steps towards Harry, hiding the pleased grin on his face at the enthusiastic welcome. "Harry," he says blandly.

Harry pauses for a moment until he sees the pleasure and happiness in Draco's eyes and he snorts before continuing with wrapping Draco in a tight hug. He doesn't care if it's embarrassing; he's missed the git and after the pleasant visit with the healer, he's very happy. He wants to give in to the prickling in his eyes as he remembers that everyone is leaving but he doesn't.

"Welcome home," he says and gives Draco another squeeze. He opens his arm slightly and pulls Joe in as well since he other man close enough.

"Ah," Joe says with slight discomfort after a moment in the group hug. He can feel Jake's eyes on him but he can't budge from the tight grip Harry has him in to see if Jake is annoyed or amused. "Thanks."

Harry sniffs quietly and finally loosens his hold. "Sorry," he says quietly.

"You okay?" Joe asks. It's hard to exactly pinpoint what's going on with Harry. He looks a mix of happy and sad. He really doesn't want to even voice his concerns about weird hormones, positive it won't go over well with Harry—or Draco for that matter.

He chances a glance at the front door and is both annoyed and relieved to see it empty. Did Jake not want to greet them or sooth his upset husband?

"Yeah, yeah," Harry says, trying to wave off their concern. "How was your trip?"

Draco purses his lips slightly and narrows his eyes as he looks at Harry. Deciding to let the subject change go, for now, he nods and smiles. "It was brilliant," he says, lifting his chin slightly. "Skipped the India stop," he says, shooting an amused grin at Joe.

"Hey, we didn't have to," Joe says, fighting between exasperation and fondness; a usual combination when around Draco. "I only said I didn't have an urge to go there," he says, looking at Harry. He didn't have any desire at all to go there and had been relieved when Draco didn't press the issue.

Draco looks around again. "What's with the pumpkins and dried sticks?"

"Halloween in America," Harry says, amused. There are more decorations inside, most he refused to put up because he couldn't stop laughing whenever he saw them. Green faced witches and scary monsters are not about to go around his home. "It's a few weeks away, but Seth couldn't contain himself."

He's looking forward to the trick or treating thing. Natalie has already changed her mind several times with costume ideas. He's already owled Remus to see if Teddy can visit.

"So, otherwise, a nice time?" Harry asks, looking between Draco and Joe. He'd be embarrassed at the heated look the two share if he didn't already expect it. "Good, good," he says loudly, trying to break into the couple's attention again. He grabs each of their hands and pulls them into the house. "Dinner in about ten minutes, so." He makes a 'shooing' gesture up the stairs.

"Right," Draco says, shaking his head lightly. "What're we having?" he asks Harry, turning around from his spot half-way up the stairs.

Harry shrugs. "Not sure," he says brightly. "I think Leah's getting Chinese?"

"Ah," Draco says, no longer caring. He doesn't say that he was hoping for something home-cooked, either by Harry or Esme. He'd probably eat a well prepared Hippogriff at this point, though, so he's not feeling all that picky for once.

He grimaces slightly as his stomach rumbles loudly. He glares at Joe when his husband has the nerve to chuckle. "Shut it, you."

Joe arranges his expression into as neutral as he can. "Sorry, love," he says, fighting to sound sincere. He doesn't remind his love that he did mention wanting to stop for something to eat before Draco had apparated them home. He liked the idea of eating together with everyone else but he'd rather that Draco didn't suffer, even if it's only hunger pangs.

He gently pushes past Draco as they enter their room and tosses the shrunken trunk onto a chair before pulling Draco to him.

Draco slowly runs his hands up Joe's sides and chest, regretfully pulling away after a moment. "We've only got ten minutes."

"I know," Joe says, his voice slightly muffled as he buries his face in the crook of Draco's neck. "What else can we do for ten minutes?"

Draco chuckles, the sound breathy as he tilts his head to give Joe and his mouth more room. "I want a shower," he finally says. "I feel a bit grungy," he adds, wrinkling his nose a bit in discomfort. The uncomfortable sensation of 'road grime' is probably the only part about traveling that he didn't like.

"Oh," Joe says as he straightens up and smirks. "Good idea." He nods once and picks Draco up, grinning at the indignant squawking sound he makes and saunters into the bathroom with purpose. A quick shower sounds like a fine idea. "I'll wash your back," he announces, fully intent on washing front _and_ back. He's a very thorough guy.

He grins when Draco just hums in agreement.

~oOo~

Harry looks around the table and quietly sighs. He absently twirls some noodles and pokes at them before squishing a chunk of chicken with his fork.

"You alright?" Jake leans over and asks Harry quietly. He slides a hand onto Harry's thigh, squeezing gently. He noticed Harry looking around and sighing quietly. He can guess what's bothering Harry and he feels a bit horrible he can't fix it.

He eyes Harry's mostly full plate with a slight frown but doesn't comment on it. Yet.

"Yeah," Harry says and tries to smile at Jake. "I'm just..." he trails off and sighs again. "I'm just going to miss this," he says and subtly waves a hand in a circle at the full table. He glances at Natalie sucking a noodle into her mouth, smearing her mouth even more with red sauce, and smiles.

Jake nods slowly, his suspicions confirmed. He slides his hand from Harry's thigh and captures his hand instead, slowly running his thumb over his knuckles. "You know as well as I do that they'll visit. I doubt a meal will go by they aren't here to mooch. Probably make a nuisance of themselves." He makes a mental note to talk to Esme... she'd happily visit Harry more often if he asked.

Harry chuckles softly and shakes his head, feeling silly. "I know, but it'll be so different."

"I know, but different isn't bad," Jake says quietly. He's thrilled his pack has found somewhere to call home. He looks at the large group and grins. "And, once we have the house to ourselves, we don't have to worry about being interrupted," he adds, giving an exaggerated wink.

He's lost count how many times he's had Harry pinned against something only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat or coughing... Once by Leah excitedly urging them to continue, making a show of getting comfortable and waving at them to go on.

"Well, we'll still have Draco and Joe about," Harry corrects, sounding a little uncertain. He honestly doesn't know the couple's plans and he wishes he'd asked. He doesn't mind being alone in the big house, he'll have Jake, but it'll be quite an adjustment. He unconsciously places a hand on his stomach; well, not alone for long, anyway.

"Yeah, but they don't wander around at odd times." Jake snickers. He doesn't mention that he feels a lot less awkward if one of them catches him with Harry. He turns a bit in his chair and presses Harry's hand to his chest, rubbing the back of it slowly. "We'll adapt. We adapted with them all here, we'll get used to them not being here."

Harry nods slowly. "Yeah. Good point, love." He smiles, twirling his noodles again. The idea of starting their family so far from Jake's pack seems almost... wrong. Of course, he doesn't know exactly where they're going yet, so it might not be too far. He sighs quietly and just nods again in quiet acceptance.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jake asks quietly, his fingers playing with Harry's. He knows that's not what's upsetting Harry but he can't help try giving him an out, even if he knows Harry won't even consider taking it.

"Hm? No, I'm sure," Harry says, nodding firmly. "The only reason I'd change my mind would be some backwards way of keeping everyone around," he adds with a small smile. "I can't do that."

Jake smiles, not at all surprised at the nearly choking swell of emotions that assaults him as he looks at Harry. He grips the hand in his tighter, nearly dropping it when Harry winces and glances at him curiously. "Sorry," he mumbles, unsure how to explain himself. He brings Harry's hand up to his lips and kisses it gently in apology.

"Alright, so when did you want to see it?"

"See it?"

"Yeah, their new home?" Jake asks, keeping his voice quiet and the soothing grip on Harry's hand, absently brushing his thumb over the back. He vaguely wonders how much of Harry's upset is from hormones but he doesn't want to ask, having learned the hard way that it wasn't a wise thing to suggest. Or mention in passing. Or even really think it. Harry is still adjusting and he's not often calm when Jake asks such things.

Harry's gaze flicks about the table before looking back at Jake and nodding. "Of course, yeah, that would be nice." He smiles and notices Leah looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"You alright, Harry?" Leah asks, having caught a little bit of his and Jake's conversation, but mostly concerned by the miserable look on Harry's face.

She'd been a little surprised to hear that Harry was upset that they were all leaving but it did make sense the more she thinks about it. She feels a little bad about it now that she realizes. She wants to be annoyed that Harry can make her care about stuff but it's nearly impossible to be annoyed with the little wizard. His green eyes are practically sparkling with moisture and it makes her want to squirm with guilt and it's quite annoying.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, fine," Harry says and leans towards her a little. "What have you told Angela?"

Leah blinks for a moment, confused. "Oh! Well, we only went by and looked. We didn't do anything official." She glares at Seth when he laughs loudly next to her. "We waited for you guys to get back," she says, looking back at Harry. She shrugs when he only blinks. "Didn't seem cool otherwise."

Harry nods and continues to play with his food, thankful for Jake's warm hand in his. "Right, well, get on that then," he finally says and smiles when Leah perks up and nods enthusiastically, already reaching for her phone.

~oOo~

Jake watches Harry as they pull up to the development. He's relieved that Harry has perked up quite a bit when the drive only took 10 minutes. They pass through a tall iron gate and he whistles softly. "Wow," he murmurs quietly as he looks around the property.

The place is spacious and the homes are lovely. Jake can't imagine a nicer place for his pack and family. He peeks out the window and feels a happy thrill when he notices the dense wooded area behind the property.

"Wow indeed," Harry agrees, craning his neck to look out the window.

"Nice, right?" Seth says excitedly from the front seat. He bounces a little, unable to completely squash his excitement. He's relieved and pleased Jake and Harry seem to like his new home.

" _Nice?_ Try fucking amazing," Leah snorts from the driver's seat. "I mean, come on. It's totally sweet," she says, looking around the car for a moment, checking out everyone's reactions. She's relieved to see Harry no longer looks like someone kicked his puppy off a tall building. She grins when he nods, green eyes a little wide. She snorts again as she turns back to the road. "Exactly."

Jake grabs Harry's hand, holding it loosely as he leans over Draco to see out of the window. He has to admit the place is really nice. Almost too nice. He grins and says as much, earning an indignant squawk from Leah.

"Shut the fuck up, Jake," Leah says airily, waving a hand behind her in the hope of smacking him. "Don't forget, your dad and my mom are gonna be here too, so... You know. Shut up," she repeats and cackles when Harry agrees with her, though his words are much nicer.

Jake huffs but he's smiling. "Fine, fine. I was kidding, you know," he concedes. "Let's look around," he offers when Leah stops the car. He's impatient to get out and nearly shoves Draco out of the car, smiling apologetically when the blonde scowls at him. "Sorry," he mutters and pulls Harry out after him.

"Wow," Harry breathes, looking around, a smile finally on his face. He startles when Seth pops up next to him and grabs his hand, pulling him towards the house near the middle.

He studies the house as they get closer. It's painted a soft creme color with pretty slate blue shutters along each of the front windows. The yard is landscaped nicely. He quirks an eyebrow at Seth and only gets an excited bounce from the young man.

Seth bounces again, feeling a bit like Little Man when he needs the bathroom. "C'mon," he gushes, pulling Harry along, looking back to grin at Jake as he follows along. "I wanna show you mine," he says proudly and slows his pace a bit as they get to the front door. He digs around in his pocket for a moment before pulling out a set of keys with a triumphant 'aha!'.

He unlocks the door and pulls Harry inside, grinning as he makes a slow circle around the foyer, arms spread. "See? Nice right?"

Harry can only nod as he looks around the large, bright open space. He glances at Jake and squeezes his hand. "It's really nice," he says, feeling happy for everyone. Sure, he'll miss them all but he can't begrudge them their happiness at finding somewhere to call home.

"It's great!" Jake grins and slaps Seth on the shoulder, hard enough to make him stumble a bit. He chuckles and rubs the spot lightly in silent apology. "So, is your mom letting you shack up with Gloria?" He laughs when Seth blushes furiously and gives him a glare.

"No," Seth says, giving Jake another death glare. "I even didn't ask. She's staying with her brother and Natalie for awhile. Mom's cool with me being on my own here, though," he says proudly, his chest puffing out a bit. "She says I'm old enough and responsible enough."

Well, she'd actually said she'd drag him 'home' by the ear if he slacked off and didn't take care of his own place. It was a privilege, something to respect, yadda yadda yadda. He agrees but she made him feel five years old again.

"Huh," Jake says, dodging a playful swat from Harry. He can't help teasing Seth and he knows Harry understands that. He winks at him before giving his attention back to Seth. "So, you're by yourself. Greg, Gloria and Natalie are gonna be in one. Leah and Neville?" he asks, getting a nod from Seth. "And my dad and your mom?" Another nod, but he tries to ignore the slight grimace on Seth's face. He doesn't really blame him; he's not thrilled with thinking of his dad in such a way either, he can only imagine its a bit worse when it's your mom. "What about the other houses?" he asks, looking between Seth and Harry.

Seth shrugs and tosses his set of keys up in the air a few times, catching them without really looking. "I dunno. Maybe we could like, keep them handy for guests?" he asks after a moment of thinking. He couldn't think of anyone that would visit, outside of Harry's friends. He really doesn't like the idea of renting them out but he'd go with it if Jake mentions it.

Harry pouts, unable to stop himself. "No, the only ones that'll visit will be staying with us."

"Harry," Jake says softly, trying to ignore the irritated glare he gets. "I think Remus and Nigel would like something a bit more... private."

Harry's glare at Jake intensifies for a moment before he huffs, annoyed and a bit put out to realize he's right. Hopefully he could arrange for Teddy to still stay with them on occasion. "I know," he says with a huff. "But I refuse to let Hermione and Luna stay anywhere else."

He doesn't know about Pansy or the twins. He hopes he'll see the twins again but he's just not sure. He feels a brief pang of regret they hadn't been able to speak more during the short time they'd visited.

Jake laughs and holds up a hand. "Alright, I'm with you."

"Good," Harry says with a sharp nod. He looks around again, slowly walking around. "Wow, really spacious," he says, glancing around the large room.

"I know!" Seth gushes again, bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. He can't wait to get some nice furniture in here and hopefully a TV as big as the one Jake and Harry have. He'll figure out how he'll manage to get it later, for now he's just happy to imagine it. He nearly smacks his head as a thought occurs to him. "What about the holidays?"

Harry blinks, unsure why Seth is asking now. Christmas is months away. "Depends who's house is biggest," he finally says, smiling, knowing the obvious answer is theirs.

"Oh, good point!" Seth says, chuckling. "We already know you guys' table will fit everyone," he grins. "Is there anyone else we should have come?"

Harry shrugs. He didn't know how soon everyone could arrange another visit or if they'd even want to spend the holidays here. "There's plenty of time to plan for Christmas."

"No, I meant Thanksgiving," Seth says. At Harry's confused expression he laughs. "Oh, right. American thing. Well, it's at the end of November. Before Christmas. Basically a really big dinner and football all day," he says in way of explanation.

Harry nods slowly, still not quiet getting it. He's a bit unsure but willing to go with whatever Seth says when Jake nods along. "Is that all there is to it?"

"Basically," Seth and Jake say at the same time. "It's a bit fucked up but we just like the excuse to eat a huge meal and spend time together," Seth says with a chuckle. He didn't care about why other people celebrated the holiday, they just enjoyed the family time.

Harry looks between the two, feeling like he's missing something but nods anyway. "Sure, I'd love that." He smiles; he likes the idea of a new holiday. "Is that alright?" he asks, looking at Jake. He's been quiet the past few minutes and he's not sure why. He reaches out and squeezes Jake's hand.

"Yeah, of course." Jake says, shrugging. Overall, he's just glad Seth is happy. He'd feel like a shitty friend and Alpha if he weren't taken care of. He leads Harry back outside, glancing around the open yard. "I bet those woods meet up with ours," he thinks aloud, hoping to distract Harry a bit.

Harry looks to the woods and nods. He had the same thought. "One way to find out." He smiles when Jake heads towards the tree line. He takes out his mobile and sends a quick text to Draco, letting him know what they're doing so they don't wait around for them or worry. He grins when Jake strips out of his clothes and phases the moment he's deep enough in the trees. He shrinks the clothes and stuffs them into his pocket.

"You ever carry someone?" he asks, stepping up to the familiar large russet wolf and gently petting the thick fur on his chest. He grins when Jake makes the wolfy purr, mouth open in a happy grin, tongue lolling out.

The large russet wolf blinks, trying to defuzz his mind from the bliss of being stroked by his Harry and nods slowly. He has. The thought of carrying his Harry is quite appealing. He bends his front paws, inviting Harry up.

As soon as his husband is close enough, though, he gives him a long, wet lick and wags his tail. He makes a playful growling sound, butting his head against Harry's shoulder before leaning down more to nuzzle Harry's belly. He hasn't been a wolf around his husband in a while and it's doing strange things to his instincts this time. He wants to be playful and he has to squish the urge to tackle Harry and lick him all over.

"Ugh, kinda gross, love," Harry chuckles, wiping his cheek. Grabbing a handful of fur, he climbs on top of Jake and settles himself comfortably on top of the massive wolf. He stifles a giggle; he has an idea how Leo feels now. He makes a cooing noise and runs a hand through the thick, soft fur and chuckles when he feels a happy rumble from deep in Jake's chest.

He looks around from on top of Jake and hasn't a clue where to go.

"Well, see if you can find home," he says and settles himself more securely atop the wolf. He takes out his wand, murmuring a Point Me, and watches as his wand spins a bit before pointing to the west. He doesn't bring it to Jake's attention yet, he wants to see if Jake can sort it out on his own.

Jake makes a sound that resembles a bark and sets off at a sedate pace. While he'd love to run, he doesn't want to risk Harry falling off. His little wizard can handle himself, he knows, but he won't risk his pup. He pauses a time or two, his nose raised in the air and sniffs, hoping to find a familiar smell. This should be fun!

~oOo~

Jake hurries through the front door, barely restraining himself from slamming the door in his haste to just be _home_. Sure, his garage is less than a hundred feet from said door (far enough to be free from the main wards but still close enough to keep wizarding things from being seen) but he had learned the hard way not to leave the garage unless he was done for the day. Usually he got sidetracked by Harry but occasionally Joe, Seth or Emmett has talked him into a video game or two; whatever the cause, he'd end up staying home until dinner time rolled around.

He never let himself work past 5:30 and he usually had a bit of catching up to do to make up for his previous days slacking.

He rolls his shoulders as he toes off his shoes and sighs with happiness and relief. He'd finally caught up at the garage; being gone with Harry for three weeks was nice but it left quite a bit to do when they got back. Seth had done an admirable job while he'd been gone but the kid just didn't work as fast as Jake could. Seth got it done properly and he got it done without help but he still had to work on his speed.

He shakes his head with a fond smile; he didn't really care it took him nearly 2 weeks to catch up, he's just glad everyone that brought their cars in didn't go ape shit on him. He often shoved Seth in front of the irate customer; most people couldn't be mad at the guy since he's so... _Seth_ and Jake has no problem exploiting that.

Even so, he'd happily take off for another three weeks with Harry, even if took him almost as long to finish the catch up work again.

He shakes his head a bit; it feels like yesterday and also, somehow, forever since their honeymoon.

His ears perk up when he hears Harry's laughter come from the living room. He smiles, feeling the familiar rush of warmth and a bit dazed as hurries down the hallway. It seems entirely too long since he's heard Harry laugh like that.

Jake pauses as he stands in the doorway and takes a long moment to just look. Harry's on the larger sofa, so he can only see his profile but it's enough to get him feeling all warm and squiggly inside. He hopes the sight of Harry never stops leaving him breathless and a bit lightheaded with affection and love.

He moves quietly along the wall so he has a better view and sighs quietly. He loves looking at Harry. He feels a little pervy staring when Harry doesn't know it, but he shakes the feeling off as he looks over the relaxed form of his husband. It's not like he's never seen his Harry smile or the way his green eyes light up when he's delighted but it doesn't make the sight any less appealing or pause-worthy.

He cocks his head a bit, narrowing his eyes; he's pretty sure Harry has a bit of a glow about him, too. He's just not sure if it's real, like an actual pregnant wizard thing, or his cheesy romanticness causing a hallucination of sorts. It's mesmerizing.

He's not sure how long he stands there, leaning against the wall, just looking, but he doesn't think it's long enough. He jumps a bit when he hears a loud booming laugh and he finally tears his gaze away from his husband to see his dad in the room, a big grin on his face as he watches Harry looking through a book of some sort.

He groans when he sees that's causing Harry's laughter. He sends a brief glare at his dad. He hasn't a clue where his father unearthed the old photo albums. He hadn't seen them in ages and almost hoped they'd gotten lost or one of his sisters had taken them.

"Dad!" Jake whines, glaring as he flops on the sofa next to Harry. Without a care that his dad is right there, Jake pulls Harry close and kisses him; a proper 'pull-him-close, hands-on-the-cheeks' kiss but he does keep his tongue to himself. Harry's bright eyes and pinked cheeks are just too much to resist. He smiles against Harry's lips when his husband goes limp and sighs into the kiss.

He regretfully pulls away, gently sweeping his thumbs along Harry's cheekbones and aims a playful glare at him. "What are you laughin' at?" he asks and pouts.

Harry blinks, dazedly smiling up at Jake for a long moment. "Er, well," he says once he's able to think again. "That." He points to a picture of a young Jake, covered head to toe in something that looks suspiciously like mud. Billy couldn't remember if it was mud or possibly pudding. The only clean parts were two blank spots where Jake's eyes are looking out, wide and amused, and a big gap-toothed grin. "It's just adorably amusing."

"Ugh." Jake looks down and can't help grinning. "Okay, it is," he admits.

He sighs dramatically and pulls Harry against his side as he settles his arm over Harry's shoulders. He looks over Harry's head to send his dad a grateful smile. He's still a bit annoyed that his dad had shared such embarrassing pictures but seeing how they perked up Harry, he really can't be that annoyed or mad.

"Hey, dad," Jake finally greets with a small wave. He's pleased to see his dad keeping Harry company. Another warm, squiggly feeling goes through him; he's gotten really lucky with his dad. He knows there are plenty of people that have parents that don't take the news of a gay son well at all. Or lovingly embrace their gay son's partner.

He coughs softly and looks away, not willing to get too emotional with his dad, knowing it would only embarrass them both.

Billy laughs with Harry, nodding briefly in acknowledgement to Jake's grateful look. "He was a real cute kid," he says fondly and gives Jake a look that says 'what happened?'.

He leans forward and turns a few pages, pointing to one of his favorite pictures with a sad smile. He winks when Jake sends him a concerned look. "That's Jake's mom," he says to Harry, pointing to a pretty young Native American woman holding a little Jake. The pair are sitting on a large boulder; wearing matching stripped polo shirts with cut off denim shorts, bright green flip flops, overly large hats and grinning into the camera.

Harry laughs softly at the matching sombreros they're wearing. He runs a hand down Jake's arm. "You look like your mum," he says quietly. Jake clearly got his nose, cheekbones and chin from his mum. He smiles again and finds himself looking forward to what their child will look like.

"I know." Jake nods with a small smile. He looks for a bit longer, smiling softly at the image of his mom and turns the page. He can only look at old pictures of his mom for so long before he feels the familiar sad twist and starts missing her.

He looks at Harry and chews the inside of his cheek, unsure if he should ask what's on his mind. He doesn't want to upset his husband but he's curious... He's never seen any pictures of Harry's family. "Do you have any pictures?"

"I did," Harry says, trying to smile. He nearly pinches Jake's cheek and coos at his husband; he is so adorable, worrying about his feelings. "I didn't have many, though." A flair of anger surges through him briefly as he thinks about his lost pictures. He still doesn't know how it happened but the album hadn't survived Kreature's deplorable cleaning skills.

Jake nods and sits back into the sofa, keeping Harry close. "Well, that's good. I'd hate to think you didn't even know what your parents looked like."

Harry chuckles softly. "I've been told by more than one person I'm a near clone of my father, only with my mum's eyes." He sighs and looks down at the pictures, running a finger over picture-Jake's chubby cheek. "I lost the album during the... Er—" He glances at Billy briefly and clears his throat, "move. I probably over-reacted about it, too," he says with a sheepish smile.

One look at Jake and it's clear he understands he means 'war'. He's still not comfortable with telling Billy too much about that part of his past. He really likes Jake's dad and so far they've gotten along better than he's ever hoped; he doesn't want to ruin their relationship with too much negative history. Billy knows he had a difficult past and hasn't pushed or asked for more details.

"How so?"

Harry flushes and lowers his eyes but doesn't avoid Billy's question, no matter how much he wants to. "I sorta blew up my house," he mumbles.

If it weren't for the extensive wards around Number 12, it probably would have been reduced to nothing more than rubble... and probably have taken out a few of the surrounding buildings. As it was, he'd destroyed a few rooms in the upper levels, the roof and knocked himself out for a few days. Hermione had been livid; she'd had her fill of standing by Harry's hospital bed, waiting for him to wake up from magical exhaustion. Thankfully, that had been the last time and she'd forgiven him when he explained what happened.

"Oh. Wow," Billy says softly, a bit of respect and a little disapproval in his voice. It isn't hard to respect that kind of power but the father in him doesn't like the damage to property aspect or the obvious risk to Harry's well-being.

He grins, "I'm guessing you mean with your," he wags a finger at Harry, "magic, right?" He's not all that clear on what, exactly, his son-in-law can do with his magic but he's getting the idea he'd have better luck asking what he _can't_ do.

Harry nods and gives another sheepish smile. "I used to have wild, uncontrolled flares of magic... at times. It's quite normal in children but I seemed to have... issues later than most. I didn't know anything about magic until I was eleven." He shrugs. "Plus, Hermione thinks it has to do with my high levels of magic." He shrugs again. He didn't know; he's only glad he's able to control it better. "Strong emotions make it really hard to control. I don't have them much anymore, though," he says quickly, reassuring both men even though only Billy looks a bit unsure.

Jake nods along, shifting in his seat slightly as just the memory of the time he'd experienced a wild lash of Harry's magic has him twitching in his shorts. "Did anyone get hurt?" he asks quietly. He doesn't think so, Harry doesn't seem all that freaked out about the incident; just sad about the loss of his pictures.

"No, thank Merlin," Harry says and lays his head on Jake's shoulder. "I only damaged my house and thankfully no one else was there when it happened. I just... sort of... exploded."

Jake snickers, unable to help himself as images of Harry 'exploding' flit through his mind. He knows it's not the same meaning but he can't help it. "Sorry, sorry!" he says when Harry slaps at him, the hit somewhere between serious and playful. "I know it's not funny," he says seriously before his lips start to twitch again. "I just... you exploding..." He feels a bit immature but he likes when Harry 'explodes'.

"How is me exploding at all funny?" Harry asks waspishly, glaring up at his still snickering husband. The arse.

Jake pauses and bites his lip to keep the giggles in. "It's not. Not really." His glances at his dad, snorting when he sees his dad looking between him and Harry with amusement. "Sorry, never mind. Totally not what I want to talk about in front of my dad."

Harry's eyes widen slightly and he smacks Jake again as realization dawns. Merlin, he's turned Jake into a right pervert! He shakes his head and goes back to the photo album, laughing a moment later.

"Is there some sort of parental law that requires at least one picture of your child in the bath?" he asks Billy, pointing down at a picture. A wet, naked, little-Jake is grinning as he proudly holds up a yellow rubber ducky. Harry likes the bubbles sticking to his mess of wet hair.

"Probably." Billy chuckles and holds up his hands. "That was his mom's idea," he defends and laughs harder when Jake's cheeks pink and he looks away. He doesn't get why people got embarrassed about such pictures. It's an adorable picture and it isn't like he hasn't grown since then.

He leans forward looking at the picture better; nothing at all to be embarrassed about. "What? You can't see the giggle stick," he says, trying to reduce Jake's embarrassment. And failing, apparently, if Jake's darkening blush is anything to go by.

Harry howls with laughter, tears leaking from his eyes. He gasps for breath, nodding emphatically. It's true, you didn't see any of little-Jake's bits. Though, he wonders if he's a pervert for wishing he could see a cute, little-Jake bum. It's sure to be adorable. Though, he much prefers the version he has now.

"Well, good thing we can't do that kind of thing anymore," Jake says, annoyance and embarrassment still making his cheeks warm. While he's quite glad Harry's laughing, he's not so thrilled it's at his expense. Of course, it could just be the weird ass phrase his dad used to describe his junk. He sighs with resignation and waits patiently for Harry's giggles to dry up.

"Why not?" Harry asks absently, his attention on the next picture of little-Jake. He's nearly hidden in a mountain of bubbles, only a peek of a brightly smiling face and wrinkly fingers holding the edge of the tub are visible.

Jake snorts and points at the picture. "Even if you can't see anything, people act like your distributing kid porn. Ain't worth the hassle."

"What?" Harry asks, his head snapping up.

Jake goes to answer but pauses as he takes in Harry's reaction; brows are pinched in a scowl and a dark expression on his face. Jake notices Harry's hand is resting on his belly and he can't help but smile. God help any idiot that tries to hurt their child... between himself and Harry, they'd need a sponge to have any kind of burial.

"Forget that," he says and gently slides his hand under the one Harry has on his belly, spreading his fingers so Harry's rest between his.

Harry shakes his head, dispelling the foul mood. "Sorry." But just the idea that someone would... He lets the thought die so he won't get angry again. He settles himself with a deep breath and turns a page, chuckling at a picture of little-Jake man-handling a small puppy.

"I wanted a dog," he says, most of his attention on the picture. He'd lost that desire quickly after meeting the beasts his aunt owned, though. He fights a shudder. "Did you know wizards have their own breed of dog? Wonky little things with two tails."

Jake just nods, not at all surprised about the weird things Harry tells him about the wizarding world anymore. His dad, not so much.

"Two tails?" Billy asks, incredulous. "How— Wow."

"I know," Harry says and nods distractedly. "Cute though. Usually quite small so I never really got that into Crups."

Billy and Jake just share a confused look before shrugging at each other. Both grin when Harry has diverted all of his attention back to the photo album.

"How's the house coming?" Jake asks his dad as he shifts and settles Harry comfortably against him.

The past few weeks, everyone has been busy with getting their homes sorted. He'd be annoyed that they didn't come around as much but he understands. Harry had been shopping like a man possessed, for once happily joining Draco, Alice and Rosalie as they went overboard with 'housewarming' gifts. He'd threatened his dad, Seth and Leah to accept whatever Harry gives them and luckily the protests stopped rather quickly. He's sure the massive TV Harry gave Seth helped.

Billy leans back in his chair and smiles. "Really good, Jacob. Joe and Draco helped me get some things changed around." He chuckles at his son's expression. He's not at all bothered that Jacob has been busy at the garage. He's touched the other boys are willing to help him, especially the blonde one. "It wasn't much, so don't look like I just cancelled Christmas, son." All of the doorways are wide enough for his chair but Draco removed most of the carpets and Joe is handy with any tool and altered the bathrooms a bit for him.

"Still," Jake grumbles, feeling a little guilty anyway. "Sue settling in okay?" He grimaces when his dad grins; it isn't a look he wants to see on his dad's face.

Billy nods, laughing out right at Jake's expression. "Yeah, Sue's settling in nicely. She's decreed the kitchen her space. Woman won't let me in here!" he grouses with good humor. He really only wanted to have access to the microwave but he'd been flat out refused when he asked to have it moved somewhere he could reach it. "Between her and Esme, I don't have to even say 'I'm hungry' though, so I'm really not going to complain," he ends with another grin.

"Speaking of which." He checks his watch. He'd nearly forgotten to let the boys know to expect company.

Jake's nose twitches and he smiles. He glances at his dad curiously when he realizes it's close enough to dinner time and he didn't smell anything cooking. "What's goin' on?"

"Esme and Carlisle. Damn near demanded they take us out for dinner."

Jake hums and looks down and smiles when he sees Harry has drifted off to sleep. He's not sure he wants to wake him but he knows Harry will be upset if he misses visitors. "Hey," he says softly, shaking Harry gently. He chuckles when Harry hums sleepily as he turns a little and nuzzles into his side. "We've got company," he says, poking Harry again.

Harry blinks groggily and rubs at his eyes. "Hmm? Who?" he asks, waking a bit more and sitting up. He already knows Billy is here and he blushes a bit when he realizes he'd fallen asleep in front of him.

"Vampires," Jake says with a grin. "Apparently, they're taking us out."

Harry sits up, fully awake. "Brilliant!" He jumps up and rushes towards the steps, hoping he has time to change. He smiles as he heads into his room, it's been a while since he's seen the coven and he's quite excited. He didn't even ask who is coming but it doesn't seem important; he's thrilled to see any of them.

By the time he rushes back downstairs, there's a small crowd in the hallway. Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Draco and Joe are all talking quietly. "Esme!" he says happily, rushing over to give her a hug.

"Hello, Harry," Esme says warmly, hugging the wizard gently. "How're you?"

Harry beams, his hand unconsciously resting on his stomach. "Really good, thanks," he says with a smile. He grins when Carlisle steps beside Esme, sliding an arm around her small waist. "Hey, Carlisle."

"Hello Harry," Carlisle says, giving him a nod and a smile. He's not quiet as comfortable hugging the little wizard as Esme and Alice, but he smiles warmly.

Curiosity about the man's pregnancy nearly has him asking numerous questions but he's promised Esme he'd hold off until Harry approaches him. He certainly misses Harry's inquisitive witch friend and wonders how he might be able to get in touch with her again. He chuckles quietly when Harry rushes off, and nearly tackles Alice, Jasper and Emmett in a group hug.

"You came too?" Harry releases his hold on the vampires, smiling a bit sheepishly when Alice pats his stomach with a cheeky smile. Emmett nods with a laugh and wanders off, sidling along side Joe and Draco. He'd hoped Rose would've been back from her hunting trip with the Downer Duo but he can live through a night without her if he sticks with Joe. He doesn't seem to mind the third wheel.

"Of course," Jasper says, smiling a little. It's been weeks since they'd visited last and he feels rather bad about it, especially when he heard most of the people living at the house have moved out. He fingers the rock around his neck absently. "How was your honeymoon?"

He's glad he's wearing the stone when Harry's eyes literally sparkle briefly and a mischievous grin pops up on his face.

"It was brilliant," Harry gushes and spends a few moments giving Jasper, and Alice, an edited accounting of their trip. "I've never seen to much sunshine!" He smiles shyly when a loud gurgling noise comes from his stomach. "Oh! I don't mean to be rude—" he says, looking around, cheeks warm. "But can we go? We can talk in the car."

He rushes for the door when everyone nods, Esme the first to head to the door. As much as he'd love to talk all night, he's starving.

~oOo~

Harry tries to calm his breathing but it's not working. "I can't believe this," he says lowly, glaring angrily at Jake. His hands clench and unclench as he struggles with his anger and he stomps as he paces in a small circle at the end of their bed.

"I don't know why this is such a big deal," Jake says, watching Harry pace, trying not to get angry as well. He hadn't meant for Harry to overhear him ask Draco if he remembered where Harry's relatives lived, even though he still isn't sure what he's going to do with the information. And he really didn't expect Harry to go completely insane about it either. He'd gone off on all of them—Joe and Emmett being there and in complete agreement with Jake.

He grimaces; he's pretty sure Draco is going to be getting the worst of it.

Harry grits his teeth and takes a few deep breaths through his nose. "You... How can you not see how this is a bad idea? In every imaginable way?"

"It's only bad if I'm caught—" Jake starts and winces, immediately wishing he can take the words back when Harry's eyes nearly start glowing. He fidgets when he feels the air thicken and an uncomfortable prickling sensation rolls over his body. He's felt Harry's magic before but this is the first time he's felt it when Harry is angry. Well, furious.

He squirms more when the prickling turns a bit painful. "I mean, I only thought this would..." he trails off when he sees Harry's hair start to stand up. Visions of Harry exploding, in the not-good 'ka-boom' sort of way, makes him to back up a step.

"You have no idea," Harry says with pained disbelief. He starts pacing, unaware of the audible crackling sound his magic is currently making. "They aren't worth it, Jake," he says, turning around quickly and looking at Jake intently.

How could Jake not see that? With his bad luck, and strained relations with the Ministry, Jake would be classified as a dark creature. He shudders at the implications if Jake was caught. He was a fool to think Jake would be exempt from magical laws. If Emmett went along, and he's pretty sure the vampire looked interested, he'd definitely be held accountable.

Magical or muggle variety, vampires would always be considered Dark Creatures and feared by wizards.

Jake backs up another step, not at all caring if it looks like he's scared. He kind of is. He's never been on the receiving end of Harry's anger before and he doesn't like it. He swallows thickly, fighting the urge to yell or bolt and holds up his hands.

"No, but you are," he says softly, voice quiet but insistent. He gives Harry a pleading look and feels the thick, suffocating effect of Harry's magic ease away a little but he's still prickling and tingling unpleasantly.

"No," Harry says and shakes his head, some of his anger dissipating. "No matter what you think it'll do to help, it won't. I don't want this. I don't _need_ this." His shoulders slump a bit, trying not to feel defeated. He knows he won't be able to stop Jake if he really wants to go.

Jake takes a cautious step closer when he feels the prickling sensation of Harry's magic lessen a bit more. "How can you say that? I saw what—" He stops himself, shaking his head to get the mental image of Harry's medical record out of his mind. "They _deserve_ it," he whispers harshly, his hands snapping into tight fists.

He doesn't know how Harry can't see that. How could he allow those... _people_ to just get away with what they've done? It goes against every instinct that's screaming at him to protect what's his. He isn't normally violent or vindictive, but this is _his Harry_. He silently agrees with his inner wolf; it doesn't matter how long ago it was, there should be consequences.

"No," Harry says again. "I can't let you do this," he says quietly, a lump in his throat. "Please don't." He's aware of the sharp flair of magic this time but he can't quite control it.

His anger is mostly gone, leaving only a heavy kind of desperation. He starts babbling all his fears, every reason he can think of why Jake shouldn't turn up at his relative's doorstep and carry out... whatever he's thinking. He hasn't seen those people since his last year at Hogwarts. He doesn't even know where they are.

Jake takes another step closer, breathing a silent sigh or relief when Harry just looks up at him with pleading eyes and slowly brings his hands up to cradle Harry's face, his thumbs stroking his damp cheeks. He doesn't think he can promise that he'll completely forget about the Dursleys but he can't just go against what Harry wants either.

He can admit Harry's fears and concerns are valid; he hadn't honestly considered any of them.

Jake takes a deep breath, preparing to say something, anything, that'll help calm Harry down but his brain seems to short circuit when a heady combination of Harry's magic and his scent hits him, mixing with his still roiling emotions.

He pulls Harry to him sharply and the next thing he's aware of is pining Harry under him and pushing inside him with a grunt. He groans softly when he comes back to himself, a bit horrified he's blanked and practically attacked Harry. Again. The fact that he feels warm slickness easing his movement is little comfort.

He pulls out and grunts again when Harry's legs cross behind him and force him back inside. "Oh, god," he chokes out, desperate and a bit scared.

"It's alright," Harry says breathlessly, arching to keep contact as Jake shifts, trying to get away again.

He been surprised when the Jake nearly crushed him in his arms but he reacted enthusiastically even before Jake's hands roughly pulled and tore his clothes off and kneaded his arse. One look at the glazed look in Jake's eyes and he recognized the expression from the other time this happened and happily allowed Jake to do whatever he wanted. Even in the state Jake was in, he didn't hurt him at all. Enthusiastic kisses aside, everything was hot and wonderfully frantic.

"I'm alright," Harry promises, wrapping his arms around Jake's neck and pulling him into a soft kiss when he sees the fugue clearing completely and Jake looks a bit horrified. He smiles, hoping to convince Jake he isn't hurt or angry; especially now. He's achingly aroused, leaking and desperate, and he'd probably hex Jake if he stops.

Jake shudders but resumes his thrusting, gentling himself since he's unable to keep himself still, and he hates himself a little for it. "I don't know what..." he trails off with a moan when Harry's hands slide down his back and cup his ass.

He shivers, even as he pulls out and slams back in when wicked fingers flutter between his cheeks. He wants to apologize and beg forgiveness for his insane behavior but only a series of moans and choked half words comes out.

He looks down at Harry and is relieved to see nothing but pleasure and love in Harry's darkened eyes. He drops his face into Harry's neck and slides his hands over every part of Harry's body he can reach, shuddering with emotion when he doesn't feel any injuries or make his husband do anything but writhe and moan in that insanely sexy way he does when he's close to coming.

"Fuck, Jake," Harry gasps when his knee is pressed into his chest with a quick, hard jerk. His hands scrabble for a grip, slipping a bit over Jake's slick skin as he looks for something to hold on to. His fingers finally bury into Jake's hair and all he can do is hold on when Jake starts thrusting faster and harder. "Yes," he hisses, moving with him encouragingly.

He knows Jake is going to beat himself up for this but he's very willing let him do what he needs to do. He throws his head back as he feels his orgasm nearly slam through him, taking him a bit by surprise.

Jake groans when he feels Harry buck and the tight, hot feeling of him coming between their bodies but he can't seem to do anything but keep moving, straining for his own release. He nearly babbles with when he comes a few thrusts later, body going limp on top of Harry. He's not sure how long he lays there but he finally is able to move and he rolls a bit, pulling Harry tight against his chest.

"Oh, god," he whispers, throat tight. "Harry, I'm so sorry," he chokes out, squeezing as tightly as he dares and buries his face in the crook of Harry's neck, inhaling deeply.

"It's alright," Harry murmurs, running a hand up Jake's back, gently kneading his shoulders and neck. "You've nothing to be sorry for," he says, his voice raising a bit when he feels Jake jerk back and peek down at him with a horrified, incredulous expression. "Really. I think in certain situations, my magic does something to you—or your wolf—and you just go on some sort of instinct." He gives Jake a bright smile. "You didn't hurt me, love." He gently strokes Jake's cheek, hoping to convince his husband that he isn't some abusive, raping bastard.

Jake shakes his head and tightens his arms around Harry. "I might have, though," he says adamantly. "How can you be okay with this? I've done it before!" he says miserably, blinking furiously when his eyes prickle.

He's a fucking bastard and Harry's calm acceptance is only making him feel worse. He blinks with surprise when Harry shifts quickly to straddle him, pinning him to the bed by his wrists and looking down at him with intense, dark eyes. Harry fast move is almost as surprising as the intense gaze and he's a little dazed.

"You did not do anything wrong," Harry says firmy, looking down at Jake. He can't stand to see him looking so miserable. "You need to stop. We just had incredible sex and you're ruining the afterglow, love," he says, his voice gentling at the end.

He sighs when Jake only looks away. "What can I say to make you stop this? You didn't hurt me. You didn't force me. You didn't do anything I didn't want you to and you certainly didn't disappoint me." He lets go of Jake's wrists and sits up, tucking his knees along Jake's sides to sit more comfortably.

Jake looks up, uncertainty clear on his face. "I just... I should be able to control myself!" he nearly yells, his breath hitching. He doesn't know why he blanks like that and it scares the fuck out of him. He doesn't know whether to be relieved or horrified that he's only ever done it with Harry.

"What if I had hurt you? Huh?" He swallows thickly, closing his eyes for a long moment before looking up at Harry with a tormented expression. His hands gently caress Harry's belly before falling limply to rest on his thighs. "Or the baby? Would you be as forgiving about this?"

"No," Harry says simply. He rests his hand on his stomach; no, he would not forgive that. "But you didn't. You won't. I don't think you could," he says with a careless shrug. Even if his magic wouldn't protect him, he knows Jake wouldn't be able to hurt his imprint—his mate. Jake hasn't ever been violent or actually hurt him; just more enthusiastic and intense.

He sighs. "I can't explain why, but I know that you need to accept this will happen again. We aren't going to argue about this every time you get a little rough with me."

Jake chokes on air for a moment and closes his eyes. A little rough. He glances up and sees red marks all over Harry's arms, thighs and hips. He trails his fingers lightly over the marked skin, matching them up. He looks up at Harry's reddened, swollen lips then to his wild hair. Even for Harry it's a complete mess; obviously having been raked through and pulled quite a bit recently.

"That was not _a little rough_. I fucking mauled you," he blurts out, his voice a bit choked. He doesn't realize he's been just as mauled; the bite mark on his shoulder and the long scratches running down his back, arms and ass having healed already.

"Mmhmm," Harry hums, rolling his hips a bit. "And I'm quite alright with it," he says cheekily. He rolls his eyes when Jake closes his eyes again. "I'm trying to lighten the mood but I'm serious, love." He pauses for a moment, nibbling the inside of his cheek as he thinks. "Do you really think you could over power me and actually hurt me?"

Jake looks up at Harry, about to immediately say 'yes' but he pauses. Sure, he's bigger than Harry in every way but he also knows Harry is quite strong and not at all defenseless, even against him. His eyes widen as he slowly realizes what Harry's saying. "You'd be able to... stop me? Defend yourself?"

"Yes." Harry snickers and rolls his eyes. "You know I can," he says. He lets a bit of his magic surround him, grinning when Jake moans unashamedly and twitches under him. The moan and twitching turns slightly pained as he lets his magic turn protective. "I'd incapacitate you... blast you across the room," he says and leans down, his elbows on either side of Jake's arms, propping himself up a bit so he can kiss along Jake's shoulder. "Burn your bits," he chuckles softly when Jake's body twitches again, obviously responding to the threat to his manhood.

He kisses up Jake's neck, "Or maybe just apparate myself somewhere else." He grins and places a quick, hard kiss to Jake's lips. "I can't exactly predict what I'd do, but it would be effective. And probably a bit dark," he admits quietly. He's learned quite a few Dark Magic spells and used those most often when he reacted instinctively.

"This might make me sound like a complete psycho, but good," Jake says seriously, turning his head to give Harry better access as his lips flutter against his neck again. He moans softly, the resistance and upset with himself evaporating with each soft kiss.

Harry's right; he can defend himself if he felt truly threatened. He still feels like an ass but he won't dwell on it anymore. It seems to bother Harry more than his blank sexing.

He gasps, his eyes flying open to stare wide-eyed. "But I could have hurt the baby!" he says in a quiet, horrified voice. How could he not remember that?

Harry sighs and wraps himself around Jake again. "No. As much as my magic would protect me, it'll protect junior here even more. Probably a bit more viciously, too," he says brightly. He's heard stories of pregnant witches, and the occasional wizard, nearly incinerating people that've foolishly tried to hurt them or their unborn babies.

"Good," Jake says, sighing quietly. "Fuck, you're way too understanding for your own good, babe," he says and twists, laying them both on their sides. "I'll try not to worry about this anymore, but I still feel like an asshole."

Harry rolls his eyes but shifts closer, hugging Jake tightly. He smiles when Jake's body finally relaxes and he runs a hand through Harry's hair. Calling the subject over, he chuckles. "Hey, we had our first fight," he says, amusement in his voice. He doesn't point out the 'make-up' sex seemed to sandwich two fights.

"Hey, yeah, I guess we did," Jake agrees, nodding a bit. "I don't like it," he mutters. Fighting with Harry sucks. He doesn't want to ever do it again. Not only had he been pissed at Harry, which he didn't think would ever happen, but he got a blast of angry magic he never wanted to feel again. He shivers in memory.

He knows they'll probably argue or disagree but an all out, angry fit? No. Never again.

Harry nods, his hair brushing along Jake's chin and making him shiver gently. "Me neither," he agrees quietly. "I don't want to revisit why we argued but—" He turns so he can look at Jake, "It's settled, right? You aren't going to go there and do... something?"

"No," Jake says quietly, running a hand down Harry's back and side. "As much as it infuriates me that they're basically getting away with it, I won't do anything. I hadn't considered the... magical police," he says, trying not to laugh.

As goofy as he feels saying it, he knows it'a a real thing and they would probably throw him in that creepy prison he heard about without a second thought. He wonders if it's not too late to speak to the normal, local police. Surely they won't turn a blind eye to such information? He doesn't know, but it might be enough to calm himself and his wolf and feel like they've done _something_ about the situation.

"But can you blame me for wanting to?" he asks quietly.

Harry lays quietly, thinking, for a long moment. "No," he finally admits. "Remus and Draco had about the same reaction. We had a big row about it, as well. Draco would have been chucked in Azkaban faster than you can say it. Not only are there more strict laws about interacting with muggles now, but as an ex-Death Eater... Well, it would have been swift and with very little justice. And Remus being a werewolf..." he trails off, shuddering, not needing to say more.

"Well, I like them a bit more now," Jake says, chuckling when Harry slaps at him. "What? Tell me there was a single person that didn't react that way and I'll... I don't know, shave my wolfy ass bald."

Harry laughs but has to concede the point. "I understand the why's," he says, looking up at Jake. "I really do. But they aren't worth the consequences."

"What if I were to promise not to get caught?"

Harry glares, scrunching his face into a dangerous scowl. "No. There is no such thing as 'not getting caught', love. You wouldn't blend in. Anywhere."

"True," Jake says, laughing. He hadn't thought of that either. He sticks out enough here in America, he can only imagine how badly he'd fit in where Harry grew up. Tall, dark and American. "Fine. I'll drop it. But I'm not over it. It's just—"

"Shh," Harry says placing a finger over Jake's lips. "Let it go, yeah?" He feels Jake nod, albeit reluctantly, and sighs happily before rolling away. When Jake grabs at him, looking a bit panicked, he chuckles. "I need the loo," he explains, kissing Jake before rolling off of the bed.

A few minutes later, Jake watches Harry, his head propped and resting on his palm as he lays on his side. Harry's eyes are closed and his breathing is soft and regular but Jake knows he isn't sleeping. His gaze settles on Harry's belly. His husband is laying flat on the bed, his pillow having been tossed or fallen off at some point during their earlier activities, and his hands are up and behind his head.

Jake's eyes widen and he leans forward, sure he's seeing things. Harry has a belly! He slowly reaches out and runs a finger over the smooth skin.

Yes. A definite swell, he notes with growing excitement. Harry's belly usually sunk in a bit when he laid down... And it's not now with Harry flat on his back. A thrill zings through him and he quickly scoots closer, pressing himself along Harry's side, his hand splayed on Harry's belly.

It doesn't feel much different but it doesn't keep his excitement from growing. Harry being pregnant was sort of an abstract idea but now he can _see_ it and it's incredible. A happy feeling of pride bubbles in his chest and he giggles softly, unable to keep the embarrassing sound in.

"What are you doing?" Harry asks, cracking one eye open and looking down at Jake with equal parts amusement and curiosity. It's not a new thing for Jake to fondle him or his stomach but he's never looked so excited before. Or _giggled_.

Jake just blinks, realizing he's tearing up a bit and he smiles brightly at Harry. "You've got a belly," he says proudly. He resumes his inspection of Harry's stomach, leaning down and laying his head on Harry's thigh to get a different perspective. He stifles an excited sound. He can see the slight swell and he can't wait until there's a bigger bump.

"I— What?" Harry asks, frowning a bit. His gaze darts down.

He hadn't noticed any rounding of his belly but he had noticed some of his pants not quite fitting right, but it wasn't all that big a difference. He thought he was just getting a bit bigger since he'd been taking nutrient potions and eating a bit more than usual. His morning sickness hardly bothered him anymore and he took advantage by indulging in any cravings he had. Esme indulged him as well (after a gentle scolding to eat in moderation), baking nearly every kind of baked good imaginable when he said he really wanted cupcakes and brownies.

He had been a bit apprehensive about the increase in weight until both Jake and healer Smith assured him he had needed a bit more weight anyway, _plus_ the amount of weight gain that normally went with pregnancy. He had nearly gaped like an idiot when he had been told to expect about 30 'extra' pounds.

His brows draw together; all he can see is a softer stomach, no bump or bulge.

Jake laughs, running his hand in soft circles. "You've got a belly," he repeats, just as excited, moving up and kissing Harry softly. "I didn't think we'd be able to see so soon."

"Really?" Harry asks, sitting up a bit and looking down. The frown on his face deepens a bit when he still doesn't see a difference. "I haven't noticed."

He jumps up and hurries to the large mirror inside the closet. He slowly turns from side to side, his eyes focused on his stomach in the reflection. "I don't see anything," he finally says, feeling disappointed. He rests a hand over his stomach, trying to feel a difference. He sighs when he only feels a lack of muscle definition, a new sort of softness.

He glances up in the mirror when he sees Jake come up behind him. Harry leans into the embrace when Jake's arms circle his waist, large hands resting hotly on his stomach.

Jake nuzzles Harry's neck, smiling at his husband in the mirror. "Well, I saw it. And you were laying down, so." He shrugs, trailing off and his nuzzling turns into kissing. He nips at Harry's shoulder playfully, a bit surprised when Harry moans softly and pushes back into his crotch.

He nearly groans with frustration. They'd just had sex not even 20 minutes ago but he's already getting hard again. He pulls back a bit, concerned he'll hurt Harry or the baby. Even though his rational brain is telling him it's not likely, he can't help thinking too much will be bad.

"Now, now," he chides, speaking lowly in Harry's ear and the nips the delicate skin behind his ear. "We should get to bed. It's after midnight."

"So?" Harry says, whining a bit. He's not used to being denied Jake and he's feeling a bit petulant. He turns in Jake's arms and frowns. "Why?" he asks.

He slowly draws his lower lip between his teeth, nervously chewing it as he looks up at Jake. He rarely refuses Harry and he wonders if Jake's starting to lose interest. He doesn't see a belly, but Jake did. He has already noticed his body softening a bit in other spots. Even if it isn't anything dramatic, it could be enough to turn Jake off. He never, ever thought he'd have to worry about becoming chubby.

He doesn't know if Jake will like that his lithe muscles and hard planes will probably become soft and padded but he can't imagine it'll be appealing. It's one thing to start out that way, but quite another to change into it.

Jake sighs, seeing the insecurity flash across his husband's face. He cups Harry's neck and rubs his nose along Harry's before gently kissing each cheek, his lips. "Because it's late and you've worn me out, babe," he says honestly. Between the fight, his reaction to Harry's magic and the sex, he's drained.

He snorts when Harry smirks smugly and shrugs. "I haven't got crazy baby hormones helping me out."

"Oh," Harry says softly. He doesn't like the idea of Jake only putting up with him either. Is he being too pushy? Merlin, who'd want to sleep with some bloated, pushy bastard?

Jake rolls his eyes and runs his hands down Harry's back, stopping at his ass and pushing his husband's hips into his own. "Trust me, you aren't lacking in any way," he says quietly, feeling relief rush through him that he'd guessed right and Harry relaxes against him.

"I'm probably over-reacting, babe. I don't want to hurt you; either of you," he says and rests his hands on Harry's belly again. "We're seeing the healer tomorrow; we'll ask how long it's safe to keep having sex, okay?" He groans when Harry just gives him a confused look.

"Why?"

"Because." Jake huffs. "I'm worried I'm gonna like... hurt you or the baby," he admits.

Harry smiles softly and kisses Jake's chest. "You're so cute," he says and chuckles. "Alright, we'll ask if it'll mean you don't refuse me anymore."

"It ain't easy," Jake admits, shrugging when Harry glances at him questioningly. He likes the changes he's noticed but he's pretty sure Harry won't believe him. "Seriously. Plus, she mentioned something about you not using your magic after some point and I want to ask about that, too."

Harry huffs, stepping away and climbing back into bed. He scootches over when Jake crawls in behind him, settling himself tightly against Jake, his arm settles heavily over him. He puts the lights out with a whispered 'Nox' and nearly whines in frustration minutes later when he can't let his mind rest.

"Jake," he whispers, unsure if he's sleeping yet or not. A sleepy hum is his response and he takes a deep breath. "You'd tell me if I didn't... turn you on anymore, right?" he asks and holds his breath, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"What?" Jake asks, alert again. He squeezes the arm thrown over Harry and kisses the back of his neck. "Babe, that won't ever happen," he says between peppering kisses along Harry's shoulders. He can't imagine Harry changing enough to not be sexy or attractive to him anymore. He doesn't know if he's that blinded by his wolf imprinting instincts or just that in love with his husband, he only knows it won't change.

Harry snorts softly and turns, facing Jake. "I'm already getting chubby and squishy, you can't honestly tell me that's a turn on."

"It certainly is," Jake says seriously, blushing and grateful for the darkness. "I'm not saying I haven't noticed, but it really doesn't do a damn thing except drive me crazy." He slides a hand between their bodies to caress Harry's belly before it glides along his hip and gently squeezes his ass. "How could more of this be bad?"

Harry laughs softly; he can't help it. "You— Really?" he asks quietly, still unsure.

"As long as, like, your dick doesn't fall off or something like that, you're still sexy as fuck, babe," Jake says, amused with himself. It gives him an odd visual but it's completely true. "Really, though, I love you and I love everything about you. I can't imagine you getting big enough for me to not want to jump. And besides," he says, interrupting Harry when he goes to say something, no doubt silly and full of self-doubt, "you're _pregnant_ , not fat. There's a big difference, okay?"

He chuckles before kissing Harry softly. "Maybe I'm a bit of a pervert, but the idea of you pregnant only turns me on," he admits, hoping it'll sooth Harry's insecurity.

Harry giggles, not even bothering to be embarrassed by the unmanly sound. "Alright," he finally concedes, relief coursing through him. "I love you, too. Pervert or no."

"Good," Jake sighs, drawing Harry close again. "Now can we sleep? I'm tired and have an early day tomorrow."

Harry nods, resting his cheek on Jake's chest and closes his eyes. "Yes, we can sleep. Sorry."

"I'm glad you said something," Jake says quietly, running a hand softly around Harry's back and then through his hair. He cups the back of his head, smiling when Harry sighs with contentment and goes limp. "I don't care what's going on, always tell me whats bothering you, alright?" He feels Harry nod against him, slowly and a bit unsure but it's enough for now. "'Night," he murmurs, placing a kiss on top of Harry's head.

~oOo~

Healer Charlotte Smith waves her wand over Harry, the charmed quill jumping up and scribbling away as she casts various spells and charms over Harry. His belly is the main focus, still glowing a faint purple when Jake clears his throat.

"Yes, Jacob?"

Jake shifts awkwardly, unsure how to phrase his concerns. "I was wondering... How safe... Uh..." he trails off, furiously rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. It's not like the healer doesn't know they have sex; it's just another thing all together to actually _talk_ about it.

"Are you alright?" Charlotte asks, smiling gently. She's pretty sure she knows what Jake is trying to ask and decides to be gentle with him. "Are you concerned about... intimate details?" she asks, having had a lot of experience with the question.

Rarely is it the expectant patient that asks; more often that not, it's a nervous father, convinced he's going to harm his partner or the baby. Even if she kind of understands, it's such a silly worry.

Jake sighs and nods gratefully, glaring at his husband when Harry snickers. "Yeah," he admits. "I was a bit... uh, enthusiastic recently."

"Mmhmm," Harry adds, smiling cheekily when Jake glares again. He still has a very nice twinge in his arse; Jake had asked he not use a mild healing charm until they found out if he can still safely use magic. He still doesn't have an issue with what happened and gives Jake another smile.

Charlotte has to remind herself to be a professional, nearly fanning herself as mental images assault her. She hums thoughtfully and pulls a book from her bag, handing it to Jake with a flourish. "This," she nods at the book now gripped tightly in Jake's hands, "Should help with any questions you might have. It's strictly about male pregnancies."

She honestly doesn't know what changes Jake's genetic input would cause, though. She'd never heard of a wizard and a near-muggle being able to conceive before. Again, she fights the inappropriate images that want to invade her thoughts.

"Okay," Jake says slowly, glancing down at the book. "Uh, so sex is still okay?"

Charlotte holds back a giggle and gives Jake a serious expression and nods. "Absolutely. As long as Harry feels up to it, it's completely safe and healthy even up until labor. There are a few reasons I would recommend against it but those aren't an issue for you two. I'll let you know if that changes, of course," she adds when Jake looks up, mouth open and about to ask about restrictions.

"Now, any other concerns?"

"My magic?" Harry asks, rubbing his flat stomach. "How much longer can I safely use it?"

Charlotte cocks her head a bit and waves her wand, checking Harry's magical core. "Wow," she says softly. "Quite impressive, Harry." She waves her wand again and nods. "I would say, conservatively, only for another few weeks. And even then, nothing overly draining and only if needed. By the time you reach the third trimester, I would recommend against any and all magic use. By that time, you'll be redirecting a great deal of your magical resources to your child and putting yourself at risk of magical exhaustion in a very short amount of time. That goes for any sort of magical transportation as well. No flooing, apparating or flying on brooms from now on."

At Harry's sad look at the mention of flying, she gently pats his knee. "Not only is it magical, but there's an increased risk should you fall."

"No flying?" Harry asks with a slight pout. He doesn't give a toss about the others, but he'll miss flying. He nearly argues, he's never fallen off his broom under his own control, but one look at Jake and he closes his mouth. "Alright," he sighs. He glares when Jake nods as well, a light scowl on his face. Jake hates him flying even when he wasn't up the duff.

"Are we able to tell the sex yet?" he asks, hoping to get off the topic of flying.

Jake sits up straighter, nodding emphatically. "Yeah, can we?"

"We can certainly check," Charlotte says, smiling.

She pulls out a clear piece of plastic (reminding Jake of a picture frame insert) and waves her wand again, the pattern intricate and complicated. A few more flourishes and the plastic rectangle hovers over Harry's stomach, turning a dark grey as lighter grey blobs slowly forming and becoming clearer.

Jake and Harry both gasp, leaning forward as the image becomes clearer. "Oh," they sigh in unison as a clear image of a tiny human floats in front of them. Jake doesn't know who reaches out for whom first, but they're squeezing each others hands as they stare at the image of their child.

"Can you tell?" Harry whispers, briefly looking up at Charlotte before being drawn back to the floating image.

"In a moment," Charlotte murmurs, willing the baby to turn a bit so the required parts are visible. "Someone is shy," she says, laughing softly. She moves her wand around, changing the angle and image a bit as she tries to find a better view. Another murmur and the image clears a bit more. "Ah!" she says, pointing at the floating screen. "There."

Harry leans in and squints, completely lost. He hasn't a clue what he's looking at, not really. A look at Jake and he knows his husband is thinking the same thing. "Well?" he asks finally. He almost doesn't want to find out, knowing the image would disappear soon after the healer gave them the news.

"Now don't consider this one hundred percent," Charlotte says slowly, rotating the image again. She points to a fuzzy blob, "It's a girl!"

Jake squints, leaning in just as Harry did. "How can you tell?" he asks, confused. He only sees a blob of whiteness. Sure, he can sort of make out arms, legs, an adorable head and even the slope of a nose... but he can't tell what parts he's looking at. Or not looking at, more accurately.

He looks at Charlotte and grins when the words sink in. "Oh, shit, a girl?"

"Yes, and I can tell because I've had practice deciphering blobs and fuzzy images," Charlotte says, amused. She glances at the image; it looks clear to her but she does indeed have practice. The image is clearer than an ordinary sonogram but not as crisp as the newer 3D images she's heard about. She's been looking into an updated spell but hasn't had much luck yet. Magic, at times, is sadly behind muggle technology.

"Are you alright?" she asks Harry, smiling softly, when she notices the green eyes glittering with unshed tears.

Harry nods, wiping at his eyes and squeezes Jake's hand almost painfully. He beams a watery smile up at Jake when his husband wipes the other tear away with a gentle sweep of his thumb. "Yeah, I'm alright. A girl, really?"

"As far as I can tell. Again, it's not foolproof, but I'd say it's pretty accurate."

Jake and Harry grin at each other. Before they can get lost in sappiness, there's a short, soft knock on the door. Jake stands, a slight frown on his face as he makes his way over to the door. "What?" he asks, glaring automatically at whoever is interrupting. He'd told everyone the healer came today and not to bother them.

Joe and Draco blink at him, surprised. "Oh, hey guys," he says brightly, his brow smoothing out. Irritation is swiftly replaced with a smug sense of pride and he steps to the side. Now that he's been given the news he's been eagerly awaiting, he feels very gracious.

"Can we come in?" Draco asks quietly, uncharacteristically wringing his hands as he looks up at Jake.

Jake nods, confused. "Sure, what's up?" he asks, looking between Joe and Draco. They're both shifting a bit nervously and sneaking looks at each other from the corner of their eyes instead of looking at each other. Jake's brows rise a bit as he looks between the other couple again.

"We wanted to see the healer, if that's alright?" Draco asks, looking at Joe briefly before giving Jake his attention again.

Jake steps aside. "Sure, sure."

Harry sits up, finally looking away from the floating image of his child—his daughter!—and gives Draco and Joe a worried look even as he waves them into the room. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Joe says, placing a hand on Draco's lower back and pushing him gently towards the healer. He'd finally been able to convince Draco to come down here and he isn't about to let him back out now. "Draco just wanted a check up."

Charlotte looks between Jacob and Harry. "It's quite alright with me. Should we have some privacy?"

"No," Joe says, unwilling to give Draco even a moment to back out. "It's fine, really. We'd tell them whatever happened, anyway." He looks at Draco and gets a nod. Of course, he'd tell Harry whatever happens and he'd most likely tell Jake. "Are you guys alright with us butting in?" he asks, tightening his hold on his husband when he feels Draco shift subtly towards the door.

Jake and Harry nod, shrugging. They're pretty much done, anyway. "Yeah," Harry says, looking at Draco curiously. He waits patiently, wondering what's brought the couple in.

"Alright," Charlotte says, pulling another blank file from her bag. A few simple questions from the blonde and she waves her wand over him, getting a general health image. "Any concerns?" she asks as the last glowing light fades.

She looks between the other couple and nearly has another fan-girl moment. She's heard of Draco Malfoy as well and she's proud of herself for not stammering and stuttering as she spoke to him. Not only is he nearly as famous as Harry, but he's absolutely gorgeous. She glances at his equally gorgeous husband and mentally curses; these men are trying her professionalism.

Draco jumps a bit, scowling when Joe prods him. "Fine," he hisses and glances up at the healer for a moment. "Pregnancy test, if you'd be so kind."

"What?" Harry and Jake say at the same time. They share an amused glance; they need to stop doing that. "Why can't you check yourself?" Harry asks, his brows furrowed as he looks at Draco.

Joe chuckles, watching the healer with sharp eyes as her wand twirls and hovers near his husband. He hasn't a clue what each spell does or if she's even waving her wand around right but he's not able to relax until that wand is away from his husband. Healer or not, he knows wands do dangerous things.

"He didn't have the nerve," he answers, grinning unrepentantly when Draco glares. "It's true," he says with a careless shrug.

"Yes, yes," Draco says stiffly, pouting a bit. "Well?" he asks, annoyed the healer is still doing general health spells. As she does the last one, the misty cloud evaporates in a colorless cloud with a whiff of lavender. Not pregnant then. "Oh," he says quietly.

Disappointment makes his hands clench tightly and he shakes his head slightly at Joe. He's relieved and touched when Joe pulls him close and wraps an arm tightly around him, lips pressed to his temple.

Charlotte's wand pauses, well aware of what the result was. "Negative. You're not pregnant, Mister Riverstone."

"Malfoy," Draco corrects absently. He's too distracted to feel the usual irritation when people assume he'd taken Joe's surname instead of the other way around. "I know," he murmurs.

He isn't sure why he feels so devastated. He leans heavily into Joe, feeling his disappointment as well. He swallows thickly, a disturbing thought occurring to him. "Am I even able to?" he asks quietly, unable to look up until Joe squeezes him comfortingly. He knows it isn't exactly a guarantee. He sits patiently as the healer twirls her wand around again, most of the spells unknown to him since he never learned many that dealt with fertility and conception.

Charlotte hums thoughtfully, picking up the file and quickly reading it over. "Yes. You've quite a powerful magical core and the additional organs required."

"Additional organs?" Joe asks, confused. He glances down Draco and smirks at his pinked cheeks. Apparently, having additional organs isn't news to his husband. He shrugs; Draco could have a tail and he wouldn't care.

Charlotte nods, smiling. "Of course, otherwise pregnancy wouldn't be possible. It's... difficult to explain fully, but popular belief is that the additional organs, not quite a womb but very close, is something there from birth—or not. It's believed to be influenced by a wizards magical strength as it takes a great deal of energy and power to carry. Sometimes a potion can temporarily mimic this and conception can happen that way."

She looks between the other couple and smiles gently, placing a hand over their clasped hands. "I'm sorry," she says quietly, realizing they'd been looking for a positive result. "On the bright side, it is possible so don't give up hope."

"Yeah," Joe says, nuzzling Draco again. He's a bit disappointed but it's probably for the best. It's a bit early to be starting a family, now that he's thinking rationally. "Trying is very fun," he whispers, pitching his voice low so only Draco can hear.

Draco sighs and nods, trying to ignore Joe's heated whispered words. "Yes, alright. But I never was sure before, so thank you," he says to the healer, giving her a small smile. He'd always been convinced only certain wizards could carry and he feels rather smug to know he's able to. "Well, thank you for your time."

"Quite alright," Charlotte says brightly. She grabs a card from her bag and hands it to Draco. "If you need anything further, I'd be honored to come again."

Joe grins when Draco's chin lifts importantly and he carefully tucks the card into his pocket. "Thank you, I shall get in touch again," Draco says, trying not to grin like a loon. He grins at Harry for a moment before his face blanks in shocked surprise. "Bloody hell," he whispers and rushes over to glance at the screen floating above Harry's stomach. How did he miss that? "Is that...?" he asks quietly, sinking down to sit next to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry says, nodding, his eyes once again on the blurry image.

Joe sidles over to stand next to Jake and holds out his fist, grinning when Jake bumps it with his own. "Good job," he grins. "Did you find out which it is before we crashed in?" he asks quietly, giving Jake a brief sheepish smile. He hadn't thought about that when they rushed down.

"A girl," Harry and Jake say at the same time, then share a sappy smile. "Pretty sure," Jake adds.

Draco stands quickly, trying not to clap excitedly and bounce around the room like a child. "Excellent," he says, smoothing his hands down the front of his shirt. "Congratulations, again, Potter," he says, smiling warmly. He rolls his eyes and leans down, hugging an emotional Harry when he nods, tears in his eyes. Honestly.

"Are you alright?" Harry whispers, rubbing a hand gently down Draco's back in an effort to sooth his obviously distraught friend.

Draco sighs and settles back down next to Harry, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "I suppose," he finally says, shrugging one shoulder. He can deny being upset until his voice gives out but it's easier to just admit to it instead of having Harry hound him.

"Draco," Harry says softly and closes both hands over one of Draco's. He glares when the blonde scowls at him. "Fuck off, I'm allowed to comfort you, you wanker," he chides softly, a small smile on his face. "You looked upset."

Draco sighs again and rubs the bridge of his nose. "I am," he admits softly. His looks at Joe for a moment and smiles softly when he sees him talking to Jake in a hushed voice. "I'd hoped..." he trails off before shaking himself. "I wouldn't have been upset to find it positive," he admits and settles himself closer to Harry.

"Git," Harry says fondly, snorting and bumping Draco's shoulder with his. "Well," he says, leaning back and rubbing his stomach. "You'll have practice, so don't worry about it."

Draco mocks a pout at Harry and throws his hands up. "You only want me around as free labor!" he scowls playfully. As much as he loves Harry and looks forward to the birth of his daughter, he'll not go near a dirty diaper for anything. Not even with magic.

"Yeap," Harry says and laughs when Draco scowls at him. "Oh shut it, you know I'm kidding." His smile softens and he pats the back of Draco's hand, "It'll happen when you're ready. You'll make a great father," he says honestly.

Draco clears his throat and blinks a few times, willing the embarrassing emotional response away. "Thank you," he whispers and goes back to looking at the floating image of Harry's daughter. "You too."

~oOo~

Jake settles on the couch, perching the book he got from the healer on his lap.

He had kicked Harry out of the house for some peace and quiet; his husband had been climbing the walls the past few days and neither of them knew why. He had, foolishly, tried to blame hormones and got a searing glare for his efforts and a stern 'no'; Harry didn't know what the problem was but he knew it wasn't hormones.

He'd finally just called Alice and begged the little vampire to drag Harry out of the house to do something, _anything_ , for a few hours. He was going crazy and in no way wanted to give in to his temptation to snap at his irritating husband.

Harry, predictably, argued and pouted until Alice, Esme and Rosalie all ganged up on him. Apparently Harry was powerless against a triple vampire pout and gave in with an annoyed huff. "I'll go," Harry said, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared up at Jake, "But I refuse to enjoy myself," he grumped petulantly. He knew he was being childish but he didn't want to leave the house. He didn't want to stay in the house either.

He'd resisted the urge to pull his hair out and continued to glare at his mutinous husband and bullying vampires.

"Oh, don't be like that Harry," Alice chirped, twirling around the annoyed wizard. "We'll buy baby things!" she said in an excited sing-song, clapping excitedly when Harry's arms slowly uncrossed and a smile twitched at his lips. " _Pink_ baby things!" Alice elaborated, having heard the good news.

Harry huffed, no longer able to fight the smile that kept trying to explode on his face. "Oh, alright! Let's go!" he said excitedly, barely remembering to kiss Jake goodbye before being ushered out of the house in the middle of a group of excited female vampires.

Jake had watched him go with a fond expression. He'd been conflicted; he hoped to get Harry to settle down but he wanted to read that book and he wasn't able to concentrate with Harry huffing and sighing as he paced.

Jake sighs, rubbing his eyes. He doesn't read often and his eyes are starting to cross. He hasn't learned much more from the book than he hasn't already learned from the healer, Harry and Draco.

He skips a few chapters until it gets to more practical issues with pregnancy. What to expect: mood swings, swelling and cravings. He makes a mental check mark next to each 'expectation'. His eyes widen a bit as he reads about the different methods of child-birth. He can't help it; he shifts uncomfortably in his seat and silently hopes Harry will let him touch him again after this. He winces at one particularly graphic image; he wouldn't if he was in Harry's place.

A chime from the floo has Jake looking up and setting his book aside as he scootches to the edge of the sofa out of habit. As far as he knows, they aren't expecting anyone to visit for awhile yet.

He gasps and hurries over to the floo when a large, sooty tangle of bodies falls out of the floo, leaving a dark grey smear on the rug. He stands stock still, his nose twitching and his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as he looks down, trying not to rub his eyes in disbelief as he stares for a long moment.

Hermione and Luna, covered and nearly unidentifiable through soot and who knows what else, are tightly wrapped around each other. Jake leans down and gasps again when he notices a small child clutched protectively between them. Teddy? There is too much soot covering them for him to be sure but a dirty shock of blue hair is peeking out and he nearly howls with anger at whatever happened to have them on his floor in such a state.

He kneels down, unsure if he should touch or move them. He growls unconsciously, deep in his throat, and his hands clench when he smells blood as well as smoke and something he recognizes as foreign magic. He leans back when the harsh odor burns his nose a bit.

Jake looks around the room helplessly. He's completely alone in the house and he hasn't a clue what to do.

He looks back at the tangle of bodies and wills himself to relax. He leans closer and sighs with relief when he hears three heartbeats and sees all of their chests moving in slow, even breaths. Another calming breath and he pulls out his phone.

He nearly drops the damn thing and has to start the message over a few times because his fingers and hands are trembling. Eventually, he gets a legible text out to Harry, Draco and healer Smith. After a brief hesitation, he sends it to Carlisle as well.

He sighs and settles himself on the floor, sitting close and praying nothing else happens before someone gets home. He holds his phone close and waits.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Please forgive my--most likely--terrible translations; I'm limited to (bad) English and enlisted the aid of Google Translate when needed... so many apologies in advance._

Draco stares at the menu for a moment before letting it drop back to the table. He glances at Joe and feels a pang of regret for choosing the upscale Wizarding restaurant when he notices Joe's discomfort. If you didn't know the man well, he looks quite at ease; but Draco notes the too stiff posture, the darting eyes and the way his fingers are constantly stroking the silky napkin by the elaborate place setting. His eyes flick to Joe's other hand and watches as it twitches a few times before being tucked under the table.

He'd been overly enthusiastic, all too willing to find the closest 5 star restaurant, thrilled that Joe had him choose where to go. They'd already planned on a nice proper date but got a bit sidetracked by the spur of the moment visit with the healer. He already knew Joe would indulge him anything he wanted, he's missed going to an obnoxiously expensive restaurant and jumped at the chance.

He leans forward and gently wraps his hand around the one Joe has on the table, a small smile on his face when Joe's fingers immediately still and wrap around his. "Are you alright, love?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah," Joe says then clears his throat, cheeks hot. "I mean, yes." He's never been to a wizarding restaurant, or one so fucking expensive, before and he's nervous and trying not to fidget. He understands manners, of course, but nothing like he's expecting he'll need for a place like this and worries he'll embarrass his husband.

One look at Draco's concerned expression and he knows he's failed to mask his unease. "Sorry," he whispers, trying not to hide his face in his free hand. He just knows he's embarrassing his husband.

Draco snorts inelegantly and waves a hand. "Don't be. What's wrong?"

"I'm just... I've never been to a place like this before," Joe murmurs, gaze leaving Draco to look around them for emphasis, pausing to stare wide-eyed at a passing waiter carrying a tray of smoking, color changing food. Is that even edible?

Draco looks around, trying to see from Joe's perspective, his pale brows lightly pinched together. The restaurant is more modern than what he's used to but he figures that's just how Americans are. Everything is elegant, though. Posh. Lots of deep, sultry colors and subtly polished surfaces. Expensive, rich fabrics draped on the walls and covering the chairs. And of course, the elaborate full service on the table of shining silverware and crystal glasses of all sizes and shapes.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he finally asks, realizing just how out of place his husband must feel.

Joe almost jumps on the chance and shouts 'yes!' but he shakes his head. He'd have to have been blind to not have seen how thrilled Draco had been when they walked in. His eyes had lit up his whole posture stiffened with his high class training and a look of subdued yet abject joy on his pale, aristocratic face.

"No," he says instead. He looks around and tries not to fidget again. He's not at all comfortable in such a classy place; he doesn't know where to put his hands or if he's sitting right. Is he supposed to take Draco's menu and order for them both? He glares at the menu, not recognizing what language it's written in and unable to read a single fucking thing on it.

"Are you sure?" Draco asks, staring intently at Joe. "I really won't mind," he says honestly.

Joe shakes his head. "No, we don't go out to your kinda places often... uh, or at all, so—" he pauses, staring at a smoking beverage floating past their table. "So, we'll enjoy it," he says adamantly, looking back at Draco.

"You don't appear to be enjoying it," Draco points out with an amused scoff. He smiles for a moment before his face goes blank at Joe's look of annoyance.

Joe sighs and squeezes Draco's hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Honestly? I'm not but you fucking lit up like Time's Square as soon as we walked in, so we're staying." He nods his head once, curtly, to end the discussion and hopes Draco goes along.

"Alright," Draco says slowly, completely lost as to what a Time Square is or how it would illuminate, but feels warmth burst through him at the confession; Joe is willing to be completely out of his element. For him. "Thank you," he whispers, squeezing Joe's hand and gives him a wink.

He picks up his menu again with his free hand. "Do you know what you want?"

Joe sighs again and shakes his head, biting his bottom lip. "No," he says, feeling like a complete tool. He glares at the menu, flicking it with a finger in annoyance. "I can't even read the damn thing. What is this? Gibberish?"

"French," Draco says and chuckles. "Would it bother you if I just ordered, then?" he asks quietly. He knows Joe doesn't care about 'roles' and all that rubbish but he really doesn't want Joe to think he's making fun of him. A relieved smile from Joe has him smiling back.

"No," Joe says with relief. "You speak French," he says, impressed. Draco nods, one eyebrow raised in that sexy-haughty way and he grins, cocking his head, studying the gorgeous blonde across from him. "You know, I'm not at all surprised you can speak French."

Draco smirks and lifts his chin, winking when Joe's eyes dilate a bit at the haughty look. He'd probably never understand how that turns his husband on but not-so-secretly glad for it nonetheless.

"Of course. I can also speak German, Italian and a bit of Russian."

Before Joe can demand a demonstration, or moan embarrassingly loud, a waiter pops up out of nowhere at the side of their table and Joe has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from jumping in surprise or yelling at the fool for interrupting. "Are you ready sirs?"

" _Oui_ ," Draco drawls, smirking when Joe groans softly. He orders in rapid French, chuckling with the waiter over something and pointedly ignores the man once he's done ordering, dismissing him rudely.

He leers across the table when he notices Joe staring at him with rapt, wide-eyed attention. "What?" he asks innocently, taking a sip of his water and peering over the rim at his gobsmacked husband.

Joe shakes his head, trying to knock the effect of sudden arousal out. "You know _what_ ," he says lowly. A knowing glint in those silvery eyes tells him that yes, his snarky husband knows exactly _what_.

"What did you order?" he asks, trying to move the topic along so he doesn't throw Draco down on the table and have his wicked way with him. Damn snarky blonde with his wicked mouth...

"You'll see," Draco says and waves a hand dismissively. He grins when Joe growls softly with annoyance. "So," he says and clears his throat. He doesn't want to ask but he knows they need to talk about it sooner rather than later. "About the results."

Joe nods slowly, allowing the subject change. He'd been thinking about it, too. "I was really disappointed," he says quietly, gaze firmly on Draco's. As open and honest as his Draco is with him, he knows he'll have to go first on this subject. He's a bit wary, uncertain how his husband truly feels but he'll accept whatever answer he gets and they'll just have to come to some sort of agreement.

"I know we said it would be wise to wait, but—"

"I was, too," Draco interrupts with a small smile, squeezing Joe's hand. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, he feels the need to let Joe know he isn't alone. He fiddles with his silverware, trying not to fidget in his chair, struggling with his next thought. "Why should we wait?" he finally asks after a moment of silence. He's not sure if he's asking just to ask or for the sake of conversation.

Joe shrugs, eyeing Draco curiously, unsure what exactly his husband is thinking. "I dunno, really. Seems the wisest way to go, right?"

"Alright," Draco says slowly, getting a bit annoyed. "But _why_? What's there to wait for? It's not like we can't afford it? It's not like we aren't committed to each other? It's not like we're not stupidly in love with each other?" he asks quietly, his grip on Joe's hand tightening unconsciously with each question.

Joe smiles and brings Draco's hand up to kiss along his knuckles until the tight grip loosens. "So very true, love, each and every point. I just thought you wanted to wait."

"No, not really," Draco admits quietly. "Not now. I—" He sighs and without a care for decorum props an elbow on the table and rests his chin in his palm, looking at Joe, gaze warm. "In theory, I though I wanted to wait. But when I saw that colorless mist... I truly felt devastated. I didn't realize until then how much I wanted..." he looks around and lowers his voice to a near whisper, " _that_." He still looks about, not knowing just how anonymous he is in the place.

He's pretty sure the looks he got were merely appraising and not because he was recognized... but better safe than sorry.

Joe stares at Draco, unblinking and wide-eyed for a long moment before a grin nearly splits his face. "Well good then. I don't know if it's some sort of crazy werewolf thing but I _need_ to see you with my child," he says lowly, eyes darkening when he sees a shiver go through Draco at his confession.

He looks Draco over thoroughly and he tries to imagine how he'd look with child. He makes a nearly inaudible growling purr deep in his throat. He hates keeping things from Draco but he won't share he's had that desire since he learned it was possible. No reason to go there, really.

Joe narrows his eyes and he purses his lips slightly. "You aren't... You aren't saying this out of some weird competitive thing with Harry are you?" he asks, trying to keep both amusement and annoyance out of his voice.

He's seen how the two wizards are with each other on occasion...

"No!" Draco scowls. Well, now that Joe says it— But, still. _No_. His scowl smoothes out and he glares instead, a bit annoyed that Joe knows him well enough to even ask. "No," he says again and lifts his chin. "I'm not _that_ fucking competitive with the wanker!" When Joe just starts laughing quietly, he sneers. "Oh shut up, I'm _not_. I wouldn't have a fucking kid just because Harry fucking Potter is."

Joe snorts, trying to control his laughter. "Black," he says, amusement heavy in his voice. "Harry fucking _Black_." He nearly howls with laughter when Draco's face pinches and he flips him off. "Sorry, sorry," he says, finally getting himself under control. "I was hoping that would be the case but I had to ask, you know?"

"Fuck you," Draco mutters, trying not to laugh along with his arse of a husband. "I really would not."

Joe grins, pulling Draco's hand up again to kiss the back of it. He winks when Draco's scowl melts away, most likely against his wishes. "Alright, forget I said it. You did miss one important question earlier, though, love."

"What?" Draco says, his brows pinching together as he goes over his rant from earlier.

"It's not like we won't be good parents," Joe supplies with a sappy smile. He chuckles when Draco's cheeks pink and kisses his hand again, running his thumb over his knuckles gently. "Well, it's true. I don't know about you, but the idea of being a parent fills me with as much panic and anticipation as well as nearly insane amounts of pleasure."

Draco nods slowly. "Yes," he breathes, "Exactly."

While the idea of parenthood fills him with happiness and anticipation, it also scares the shit out of him. The very idea of being responsible for another human being... Not to mention he has very little experience with babies. He's pretty sure he could change a nappy, but the very thought makes him shudder with revulsion.

If the very idea didn't make him want to cringe painfully and cross his legs, he'd wish babies came out at the age of 3, all set and ready to go. He can handle 3 year olds.

"So, we're back on the 'if it happens, it happens' plan, then?" Joe asks, smiling softly.

He ignores the waiter approaching with a bottle of wine and two glasses but raises an eyebrow when the man bows towards Draco and pours his first. He snorts at the superior expression on Draco's face and only glances at the waiter when he turns and scurries off once Draco approves and waves him away with an imperious hand gesture.

"You are such a fucking snob, love," he says, resting his chin on his palm and staring at his husband adoringly. He almost wishes he could be as confident and aloof with that sort of thing but then what would be left for Draco to do?

Draco smirks and takes a small sip of his wine. "I know," he says proudly. He nearly shakes his head; only Joe ever makes it sound like a compliment. " _Je suis snob, chéri, et fier de l'être.*_ "

"Fuck," Joe whispers. Who knew hearing French come out of Draco's perfect mouth would be so fucking hot? He didn't. "What did you say?"

Draco smirks and takes a longer sip of his wine, giving Joe a heated look over the rim. "Nothing important," he says, licking a stray drop of wine from the rim with a sensuous flick of his tongue, heated gaze still on Joe. " _Je vais te sucer la queue quand nous serons dans la voiture,**_ " he murmurs, his tongue playing along his bottom lip for a brief moment.

"Stop that," Joe whispers hoarsely, kicking blindly under the table towards Draco.

He doesn't understand a word but he has a feeling Draco isn't telling him the weather. He palms the bulge in his pants subtly, glaring across the table when Draco has the nerve to lick his lips— _again_ , the fucking tease—and wink at him. He closes his eyes and wills himself to calm down.

"How come we were able to see the baby already?" Joe blurts out when his thoughts clear of filthy things and goes back to their original topic.

Draco wrinkles his nose, a bit put out by Joe's refusal to play along. "Magic," he says with a smirk and a playful eye roll. "Honestly."

"Shut it," Joe chuckles. "I was only wondering. Usually it takes longer to be able to tell." Harry was just barely 2 months pregnant—well, 9 weeks or whatever people say—and they clearly saw what looked like a sonogram and the healer had been able to announce the sex.

He expected to wait until at least Christmas before they'd know.

Draco shrugs one shoulder and finishes his wine with a rude little smack of his lips. He winks when Joe just stares at him, oddly enjoying ignoring the proper etiquette he'd had engrained in him since childhood. He's happy to do it, especially since Joe looks quite a bit more relaxed.

"Again, magic, love. I didn't study anything to do with babies, so I don't know all the spells and charms involved but it appeared to be able to zoom in a bit better than muggle technology." He shrugs again.

He doesn't know and he doesn't really care. Harry and Jake had been complete wankers the week leading up to the appointment and he's just glad they didn't have to wait any longer. He'd probably have hexed the both of them if they'd continued on any longer.

"Oh," Joe says, glancing up briefly when a plate is placed in front of him.

He stares at the food, surprised he can recognize every item. He raises an amused brow at his husband. "I have no problem trying new things, love." He glances down at the petite steak, roasted potatoes and braised broccoli, dragging his pinky through the delicate looking white sauce under everything. He really wouldn't mind trying something obnoxiously French, he's touched and feels a flush of warmth that Draco ordered his favorite foods.

Draco flushes, his cheeks pinking delicately, and waves a hand. "Oh hush, I didn't want to traumatize you even more by making you eat offal and questionable animals."

"Ugh," Joe says, affecting a disgusted look. He's eaten worse, but as a wolf. And never for outrageous prices. "Thank you, snookums," he simpers and makes a kissy face. He chuckles when Draco only rolls his eyes but catches the small smile on his lips.

~oOo~

Harry frowns when Alice and Rosalie hold up identical outfits, only in different colors. "I want girly colors," he says with an annoyed huff, looking at the yellow and green onsies. Normally he'd err on the side of caution and go with unisex colors, but he believes the healer's prediction of a girl. He feels it's right and dammit he wants pink!

"Are you sure?" Alice giggles. She already knows pink is appropriate but it's a bit fun to tease the little wizard. She shares a look with Rosalie, both snickering. "Fine." She rolls her eyes when Harry only gives her a flat look. She adds the same design to her growing stack, in pink, and wanders over towards a display of little shoes. "Oh!" she squeaks, picking up a pair of patent leather Mary-Janes.

Harry stares at the small shoes before giving Alice an incredulous look. "Babies don't need shoes."

"Yes, they do," Alice and Rosalie say at the same time, matching 'what, are you stupid?' expressions on their lovely, pale faces.

Harry huffs and looks at Esme. "Do _you_ think babies need shoes?" he asks, crossing his arms and trying not to smirk. Of course Esme knows babies don't need sodding shoes. They didn't walk.

"Sure they do, Harry," Esme says brightly. "They pull an outfit together," she says sagely. All little girls need properly put together outfits. It just doesn't make sense not to. Especially when they're young and can't argue with you.

Harry rolls his eyes when Alice sticks her tongue out and places a few different pairs of shoes, in various sizes, in the growing pile. "You lot are insane," he says fondly. "Should I get nursery stuff or should I wait?" He's already here but he wants to pick stuff out with Jake, even if his husband probably wouldn't care what they got.

"Like what?" Esme asks, holding up a frilly little dress that looks like it's made entirely out of lace. She gently traces a ruffle with a finger before giving Harry her attention, the dress automatically going into her own pile.

Harry fidgets. "You know, a cot and such," he says, wringing his hands nervously. Maybe he should get them now since he has three experts with him. He isn't even all that sure what else he needs.

"Of course," Rosalie says with a sniff and struts over to a lavish display full of baby furniture. "Which room is the rug rat going in?" she asks over her shoulder, fingering a price tag for an ebony wood nursery set.

Harry sighs and wanders over, looking over Rosalie's shoulder. "What difference does that make?" he asks, honestly unsure.

"Well, if you're sticking the kid with you for awhile, you just need a bassinet. Otherwise, you need _everything,_ " she stresses the word with an ominous tone, "sooner."

Harry nods, blinding agreeing. He does need everything. He doesn't have anything at all for a baby and he feels a bit ashamed. He's over two months along, surely he should have something by now. "Alright, what?"

"Everything, Harry," Alice chirps as she joins the group, more clothes piled in her arms. "Crib, changing table, rocking chair... All that jazz," she says with a smile, her hands wiggling excitedly. "Then you need bedding and all sorts of accessories!" she says excitedly, like she's discussing diamond jewelry or expensive clothing.

Harry's eyes go wide. "Accessories?" he asks weakly.

"Diapers, powders, soaps, lotions, blankets, bottles, all _kinds_ of shit," Rosalie says, gaze roaming a different nursery set. She dismisses the pine, too plebeian, and goes back to the ebony wood. "Get this one," she says imperiously, smirking when Harry just nods. The little wizard is so easy! And fun to shop with. He's a bit like a walking wallet (not that she needs someone else's money but it's just a bit more fun to spend).

For over an hour, Harry follows the three female vampires, watching with wide eyes as they fill three carts full of _stuff. Baby stuff_. Stuff he didn't even know babies needed. How did little humans need a mountain of _stuff_? He did veto a few things (a wiper warmer? _Really?_ ) but otherwise trusts their expertise.

He isn't at all surprised that Rosalie is the most invested, having learned of her love of babies. He wonders how often he'll even get to hold his own daughter whenever the vampire visits.

He nearly groans with relief when his phone vibrates in his pocket, thankful for the distraction from the nursing section. He doesn't think he'll need any of that. At all...

He holds his phone out and squints, trying to decipher the odd text from Jake. _**Herman Tudor and Lupis? Floor? Injury**_. After a few moments, a clenching in his gut, he figures out the message is about Hermione, Luna and Teddy falling out of their floo. He gasps, a hand covering his mouth and he's grabbed by Alice before he can foolishly apparate.

She's still blinking the fog of a vision away and Harry looks at her with apprehension and a little fear. What did she see? Before he can ask, Alice has a hold of him and they're already moving.

"Come on," Alice says, taking Harry by the wrist. She murmurs something to Esme and Rosalie, her voice a whispered buzz to Harry's ears, and they rush towards the front of the store and out to the parking lot. "Alright," she says, looking around and making sure they aren't being noticed.

She suddenly grabs Harry and settles him against her like a child. Harry's arms and legs immediately clamp around the tiny vampire, grateful he can't harm her with his death grip. "Hold on, we're running," she says softly, wrapping her arms around Harry tightly and taking off at a dizzying speed.

~oOo~

" _Oh mon dieu, baise-moi!***_ " Draco gasps, his head flopping forward bonelessly to rest on his forearms.

Joe growls through clenched teeth, his fingers digging into pale hips as he thrusts, Draco's cries driving him to go harder. Again, he has no idea what his husband is saying but he's free to react like he wants now.

He runs a hand down Draco's damp back, scraping his blunt nails down the pale skin lightly and grins when Draco moans and arches into his touch like a cat.

"What did you say?" he demands, hips stilling when he doesn't get an immediate response. He chuckles when Draco moves back with a wanton whimper and stills him.

Draco whines, looking back and wiggling his hips in a bid for Joe to fucking _move_ again. He groans when hands tighten around his hips, forcefully stilling his movements. Frustration ripples through him; it's fucking hot to be controlled so easily but he wants to pout and cry that he's being denied. Bloody bastard can't just _stop_ mid-shag!

"Oh god, fuck me," he whispers, both in translation and request. He moans when Joe's hips snap harshly, making him wobble and nearly falling onto his face. "Ah!" he gasps when Joe's hands slides down over arse, palms smacking down and then gently kneading.

Joe flicks his hair out of his face and resumes his earlier pace. "Alright, I will," he pants between thrusts.

He'd been driven to the point of almost coming in his pants like some randy 14 year-old by this mouthy husband, right in the middle of that classy fucking restaurant, and he's so close. They hadn't even made it out of the parking lot before Draco shoved him in the spacious back seat and nearly ripped his pants off and engulfed his aching erection in one swift move. Apparently, Draco had promised to suck his cock at some point.

He had to pull Draco's sinful mouth off of him when the bastard blacked the windows with a wave of his wand; the skilled mouth and blast of magic making him groan loudly and tingle warningly. As wonderful as it is to feel Draco swallow around him as he comes, he'd rather be buried balls deep in his husband when the time came.

" _Mon dieu, mon dieu,_ " Draco chants breathlessly, apparently stuck in French at the moment as his brains seem to be leaking out of his ears with the mind numbing pleasure. He didn't think Joe would get so worked up but he's happy with the discovery.

He gasps and arches his back when Joe's hand clamps around his cock and strokes him swiftly, thumb dragging or rubbing in all the right spots. "Oh fuck," he pants, biting his forearm to help stifle the loud moans. He blacked out the windows but didn't think to cast a silencing charm before his mind went elsewhere when Joe pounced on him.

Joe twitches and pulls out, swiftly turning Draco over and nearly attacking his mouth before sliding back inside and resuming his pace, holding one leg up. Draco's eyes roll back in his head and his hands reach up and yank him down to press their bodies together, their mouths meeting in a wet, hungry kiss.

He groans softly, the sound a bit muffled by Draco's mouth, when their bodies slide together, slicked with sweat and hastily conjured lube. "Dammit, fucking come," he says through gritted teeth, shifting his hips until Draco moans in the way Joe knows he's nailed his prostate. He pants and nearly bends Draco in half.

Draco moans again, his hands now clamped firmly on Joe's pistoning arse, fingers digging into flexing muscle. "So close," he breathes, no longer able to do anything but writhe and moan as Joe pounds into him. " _Oh, putain, je viens.****_ "

"Fuck," Joe hisses and stills briefly when he feels Draco's whole body contract and squeeze around him in a nearly painful spasm. He grunts and twitches, filling Draco with toe curling intensity.

He flops down and they lay in a sticky, panting mass for a long while. "Wow," he mumbles and nuzzles a pale, damp neck languidly. He mumbles a soft 'love you' as he nips and kisses along Draco's Adam's apple, smiling against the warm, flushed skin when he hears a soft groan and a whispered 'love you, too'.

Draco hums, running his fingers along Joe's back and sides, smirking when he feels a shiver go through him. "Mmm." Tilting his head to kiss the tempting lips slowly, thoroughly, before pulling back a bit.

"So, you like French?" he asks, his lips moving against Joe's.

"Fuck yeah," Joe says, smiling unabashedly. "Please don't exploit this," he says seriously, turning his head to look into Draco's amused silvery eyes. "Seriously, love." He tries to look stern but he's pretty sure it's a futile effort at the moment, he's still catching his breath and sweating like a pig.

He is serious, though, and he knows Draco can tell. He does not want his husband approaching him randomly, whispering French in his ear. He normally would encourage such things but his husband has a bit of a sadistic streak and he knows it'll happen when he least wants it. Probably around his pack members. Or worse, the few occasions Draco stops by to visit him at work.

Draco huffs, relenting. "Alright fine. I'll only 'exploit' it when we're free to disappear so you can shag my brains out."

"Deal," Joe says immediately, chuckling softly and nuzzling into Draco's neck again, inhaling deeply. He shifts, finally aware he's still mostly dressed. His pants are shoved down to his ankles obscenely, his shirt hanging from his wrists in near tatters from Draco's enthusiastic disrobing efforts.

He looks over Draco's deliciously naked body and he's turned on again, grinning when he feels a weak but interested twitch. He groans when he hears a soft tinkling from the vicinity of Draco's trousers. "Dammit," he mutters and reaches around blindly.

It's times like this he really would love to just destroy all cell phones. Who had the bright idea to be able to contact a person _at all times?_

Draco turns, his eyes narrowed, trying to pinpoint where the sound came from. He gropes along the floor, his hand meeting Joe's and then his mobile. He fumbles the annoying device a few times, his fingers still a bit tingly and numb from his post-orgasmic high.

"Oh shit," he says, his eyes widening. "Home. Now!" he says, pushing Joe off of him and reaching for his clothes. As soon as both them are more or less clothed, he just grabs Joe and apparates them both home.

He doesn't completely understand what Jake's text said but it made enough sense to have him completely panicking and apparating without a second thought about their car.

~oOo~

Jake checks his phone for the hundredth time in what seems like an hour. No; only three minutes. He releases a sigh of relief when he hears the front door open and the crack of apparation, almost simultaneously. "I'm in here!" he calls out and stands when he hears footsteps.

He sags with relief when Carlisle and Charlotte burst into the room at the same time.

"Oh my!" Charlotte says and immediately draws her wand when she sees the pile of tangled limbs on the floor. She gasps when she nearly collides with a pale, handsome blonde man. The brief contact has her shivering a little when his freezing hand comes up and steadies her.

Her eyes widen and her mouth opens a few times. "Oh! You're a—"

"Doctor," Carlisle says with a small smile, interrupting the wizarding doctor. "Carlisle Cullen." He doesn't want to worry the woman but he doesn't want to waste any time with pointless discussions, either.

He opens his medical bag and kneels. "Do you know what happened, Jacob?" he asks, looking up briefly.

"Not really."

Charlotte stares at the 'doctor' and jerks out of her shock when she hears Jacob's shaky voice. She recognizes the blonde man to be a vampire but once she sees his calm demeanor and skilled moves, she's no longer as concerned. Even she can smell the blood and the vampire got to work on the patients as if it were nothing. She's insanely curious, of course, but wisely saves any questions for after the people on the floor aren't in danger any more.

She waves her wand in a series of complicated diagnostic spells and gasps softly. "There's internal damage," she says quietly, eyes sharp, as the results continue to scribble out furiously, her quill dancing and writing so fast it's nearly a blur.

"Oh dear," she whispers. "Smoke inhalation." At Carlisle's questioning look she elaborates, "All of them, smoke inhalation. The child has three broken ribs and a broken wrist," she says, her eyes narrowing in anger at the last part. "Both of the young women have internal bruising and mild swelling of the brain," she says, a bit worried.

She has no idea how long they've been suffering the brain swelling and hopes she's not too late. Even magic has it limits.

"Can you help them?" Carlisle asks, watching the witch work. Most of the internal problems he can't help without surgery nor has he the supplies needed for it. He's fascinated that magic can be used for healing as well. He watches with interest as the healer carefully lifts the young boy's arm, wincing a bit at the way it flops at an awkward angle before she carefully adjusts her grip to hold it more securely. They both share a grateful expression, grateful the child is unconscious.

Charlotte nods. "Yes," she murmurs and starts waving her wand, performing the numerous healing charms, constantly shifting between all three people. Potions float out of her bag and she eases numerous colorful potions into each of them, only needing to help the child swallow the first potion.

After several minutes, she wipes her brow. "Alright, we can move them." She moves back and gives Carlisle a nod, "If you could bandage the child's wrist and ribs, that would be very helpful. Even with the resetting charm and bone healing potion, the bones are still quite fragile at the moment," she explains, watching as the vampire doctor gently wraps the wounded areas with practiced care and efficiency. A surprised smile lights her face as she watches Carlisle gently card a hand through the child's hair with tender familiarity.

Jake gently pulls Hermione's arms from around Luna and Teddy, picking her up and setting her on the sofa. "Can you—" He starts and gives a grateful smile when Charlotte enlarges a few pillows into mattresses. He puts Teddy and Luna on each. He murmurs a 'thank you' when Charlotte waves her wand again and all of them are cleaned up a bit.

He looks up and groans softly when Alice bursts in the room. She's got Harry clutched to her like a baby Koala. He's relieved Harry didn't try to apparate but he's not at all looking forward to his husband's reaction. His eyes slowly slide closed when Harry carefully climbs off the little vampire and his face crumples with sadness as he looks at his friends. He can't bear to see the green eyes shiny with devastated tears.

"What the fuck?" Harry whispers, pulling away from Alice and rushing over. His hands flap as he looks between Hermione, Luna and Teddy; obviously unsure who to go to first. "Oh 'Mione," he whispers and kneels next to the sofa and gently takes her hand.

He wipes a tear away and glares at Charlotte. "What happened?"

Charlotte blinks, surprised Harry's focusing on her. "I don't know. Jacob called me, said there was some sort of emergency and I apparated right over."

"I got the same message, Harry," Carlisle says softly, resting a hand on the wizard's trembling shoulder and giving him a gentle, comforting squeeze.

Harry sniffles wetly and turns sheepish eyes on the healer. "I'm sorry," he whispers, feeling like a right arse for yelling at her. "Thank you. I'm just—"

"It's alright, babe," Jake says softly and shuffles over to pull Harry into his arms, resting his cheek on the top of his head. "I don't even know what happened. I was reading—" He groans and lightly slaps at Harry with a small smile when he gets an incredulous look. "I can read," he mutters. "Anyway, I was reading, the floo sounded and they all just fell out in a pile," he finishes quietly, looking around.

Harry nods and allows Jake to hold him. He freaked out when he got Jake's garbled message, nearly apparating in his panic. Luckily, Alice ran faster than he could fly. If he hadn't been in such a state of worry, he probably would have found it exhilarating.

He shifts in Jake's arms, his back against Jake's chest so he can run a hand gently through Luna's slightly sooty hair. "Why? That's all I want to know," he says miserably. What could have happened? His stomach swoops dangerously; whatever happened, it's not good.

He jerks out of Jake's grip when Teddy groans softly. He hurries over and runs a hand through his dull brown hair. "Teddy?" he whispers, watching as the dull brown locks turn a murky black.

"Unk Harry?" Teddy whispers, wincing and whimpering softly when his eyes open. He hurts. "Oww," he whines and tries to move. Tears leak out of his eyes, he hurts _every_ where. It even hurts to breathe. "Ow," he whispers again, clutching his arm. "No," he whines and turns his head when he feels a potion vial being pressed to his lips. He hates potions, they're yucky!

Harry follows Teddy's mouth with the potion vial as he twists and moves his head away again. "Teddy, love, you have to take this. It'll make the pain go away." He nods encouragingly when dull brown eyes slowly open and look at him questioningly. "I promise," he whispers, urging the vial towards Teddy again. "I've got ice cream, I'll get you some to get the yucky taste out," he offers. He probably shouldn't be so soft but he can't bear to see Teddy in pain.

"Okay," Teddy concedes and scrunches his eyes closed and opens his mouth. He grimaces and nearly spits the yucky potion back out but he swallows it, the promise of ice cream too good to pass up. He knows he has to swallow the gross potion to get the ice cream. He sticks out his tongue but almost immediately the pain ebbs away and his face relaxes, his hand dropping from his hurting arm. "Gwross." He wrinkles his nose, his hair going a sickly green color.

Harry chuckles softly, running a hand through Teddy's rapidly changing hair. As soon as it turns a vibrant green, he knows Teddy is feeling better. He gives Jake a grateful smile and squeezes his hand when a bowl of ice cream pops up in front of his face and is pushed towards Teddy. "And as promised," he says needlessly, watching Teddy's eyes brighten to purple and light up as he takes the bowl of ice cream.

"Thanks, unk Jake!" Teddy says brightly and immediately scoops ice cream into his mouth. He giggles happily; it's his favorite green kind. He picks out a little chunk of chocolate before going back to spooning it into his mouth. He's about half done before he realizes all of the adults are staring at him with sad faces. "Wha?" he asks around a mouthful of half-melted ice cream. Did he have ice cream all over his face? He wipes at his mouth and chin, inspecting his hand when he pulls it away.

Harry runs a hand through Teddy's hair again, trying to gentle his expression. "What happened, Teddy?"

"I don' remember," Teddy says, his little brows scrunched together as he thinks. "We went to the zoo. Me an' daddy, an' Nigel, an' aunt 'Mione an' aunt Luna. We saw elephants!" he says excitedly, forgetting momentarily about why he had been in pain. "Muggle zoo," he says quietly, looking around the room. As cool as magical animals are, he likes muggle ones just as much.

"Then..." he trails off, his memory fuzzy and then blank. "I don' know," he says with a helpless shrug. He thinks there might have been a big boom but he doesn't remember. Aunt Luna had picked him up almost immediately and the next thing he knew was waking up, hurting all over, and seeing uncle Harry and uncle Jake. Oh, and ice cream.

He looks around and sees aunt Hermione, aunt Luna, doctor Carl (or something like that, he can't say his whole real name) and some lady he doesn't know. He looks at the lady curiously. She's very short and a little on the plump side with dark hair in pretty curls and a very friendly face.

Harry nods, swallowing down a lump in his throat. "Alright, that's alright Teddy." He watches Teddy go back to his ice cream and gives Jake a pained look. Where are Remus and Nigel then? "Did... was there anyone else?"

"No," Jake says slowly, shaking his head. He looks sadly at Teddy and hopes Remus and Nigel found their way to another floo instead of the numerous bad thoughts going through his mind. "No, it was just Hermione, Luna and Teddy."

Another pained groan has them all looking towards Hermione. Harry is the first one to shuffle over and takes her hand. "'Mione?" he whispers. He smiles as best he can when he sees her eyes flutter open. "Hey."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione wails, crying out when her head throbs but she doesn't let that stop her from sitting up and crushing her friend in a fierce hug. "It was horrible!" she chokes out, tears running down her face. "Oh no! Teddy and Luna!" she gasps, looking around wildly, clutching her throbbing head when her temples to throb sickly and she's overcome with dizziness.

Jake rushes over and gently pushes Hermione down, seeing the pain sitting up caused. "They're okay, they're here, too. Carlisle and Charlotte took care of them."

"Charlotte?"

"My healer," Harry says, wiping his eyes. "What happened, 'Mione?"

Hermione's eyes flutter closed as she tries to remember. "I don't know," she mutters, obviously annoyed. Not only are there numerous blank spots but she hates not knowing things. "There was a loud boom, screaming and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground feeling dazed. Luna had Teddy, I remember that. She'd grabbed him moments before the boom. We crawled towards each other and that's the last thing I remember," she says quietly, looking at each worried face.

She can't imagine why they floo'd to Harry's instead of St. Mungo's. She doesn't even know how they even got to a floo; they were at a muggle zoo. Her gaze settles on Luna and she sighs with relief when she can make out the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"Why here?" Jake asks, not intending to sound rude. He winces and nearly wants to take back his question. He relaxes a bit when Hermione looks like she's in agreement and not at all offended.

Hermione shrugs, grimacing as the move makes pain throb through her entire body. A moment later a pain potion is in her hand and she slowly sips it. "Thank you." She sighs, her eyes close as she feels the potion kick in. "I don't know, Jacob. I was just wondering the same thing."

"Harry's was faster."

Everyone turns with wide eyes to stare at a now awake Luna. Her blue eyes are direct and a little sad. Harry and Jake both find themselves missing the slightly-spacey look the blonde witch usually has.

"Huh? How so?"

"Less people waiting," Luna says with a small smile.

The few other wizarding people at the zoo immediately went to St. Mungo's and the muggles were getting herded out in blinking white things that made a horrible squealing noise. Neither option seemed the best since Teddy needed medical assistance immediately.

"And less people to care about who his daddy is," she says in a soft voice looking at Teddy. She beams happily when Hermione shuffles over and gently lifts her head before sitting down and placing her head in her lap. She nearly purrs when Hermione's fingers gently burrow into her hair. "Thanks!" she says gratefully when Charlotte floats a pain potion towards her. She gulps it in one go and makes a disgusted face, sticking her tongue out and muttering "Ewwie", reminding them all of Teddy's similar reaction. Jake nearly offers her ice cream.

Harry's face falls, Luna's words making sense. "Oh, Merlin," he whispers, one hand covering his mouth for a moment. "Remus?"

"I don't know, Harry," Luna and Hermione say at the same time. "We'd split up a few minutes before it happened. Nigel wanted to see Penguins," Hermione says with a tiny smile. "I... don't know," she whispers, her eyes getting shiny.

She focuses on the silken locks between her fingers, trying not to think of what would have happened if Remus and Nigel had had to go to St. Mungo's. Being a well-known war hero had it drawbacks; everyone knew he's a werewolf now. Sadly, some people still let old prejudices control their reaction towards him.

Harry looks to Luna, hoping she has some idea but he only gets a sad shrug in response. "Oh..." He looks up when Jake presses against his side, his arm wrapping around his waist in a comforting, tight grip. "We have to find him," he whispers, clutching at Jake's shirt.

"Alright," Jake immediately agrees, even if he hasn't a clue how to go about it. He looks up when another crack of apparation sounds through the house. Draco runs in with Joe, both flushed and disheveled. "What the—?"

Draco waves a hand, an annoyed but also somehow concerned frown on his face. "What the fuck happened?" he asks, looking around. Luna, Hermione and Teddy all look like they've been through Weasley's store, in the restricted back section. His eyes widen then narrow when he sees the bandages on Teddy's chest and arm. Teddy looks alright, happily eating the last bits of green ice cream.

"I could barely understand that text you sent," he says with a glare at Jake. He'd understood enough to rush home.

"I was freaking out!" Jake defends and shifts closer to Harry. "And we don't know what happened."

Draco's glare softens when he feels Joe's arm wrap around his waist. "Alright," he says and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Can someone tell me what's going on?" he asks, trying not to be annoyed.

Sure, he's concerned Hermione, Luna and Teddy look worse for wear but there doesn't seem to be an actual emergency now. He's selfish enough to feel grateful they'd been able to finish what they'd been doing before getting the text now that he knows it's not dire.

"There was an explosion," Luna says, her eyes closed as she lounges in Hermione's lap. "Don't know why or how. I think the muggles are fighting each other," she says lightly and shrugs. "I got to the nearest floo and we came here. I don't think Remus or Nigel made it," she whispers, turning slightly and burrowing her face in Hermione's stomach.

Harry and Teddy both make a pained choking noise. Teddy rushes over and attaches himself to Harry, hopping up when Harry lowers to pick him up and hold him close, his face buried in his uncle's chest with a soft whimper.

"How do you know?" Harry asks, voice strained. He looks up and gives Jake a grateful smile, and a light kiss on the side of his neck, when he feels Jake's arms circle him and Teddy. He doesn't protest when Jake shuffles them over to the sofa and forces him to sit.

"I don't," Luna says after a few moments, obviously pondering the question seriously, sounding rather happy about it, oddly enough.

Draco scowls, feeling truly annoyed with the blonde witch for the first time in a long time. "Care to explain why that's so fucking great?"

"I don't _know_ ," Luna says, turning again and pinning Draco with sad blue eyes. "If I don't know, then it's not certain now is it?"

Joe gapes and blinks, shaking his head a bit. "True," he says, ignoring Draco's scowl. Even he's noticed how freakishly accurate her weird predictions are. He'd called her a psychic once and sent Luna on an hour long giggle fit before she skipped away humming softly to herself.

"How do we find out?" he asks, looking around at no one in particular.

"I'll floo Saint Mungo's," Draco says, marching over to the floo and tossing in the powder with a disgruntled flick. Instead of just talking, like everyone assumed he would, he steps through and is gone in a whoosh of green smoke and flames a moment later.

Harry shudders and wraps his arms tighter around Teddy, leaning into Jake's side heavily. He looks up, trying to smile when he sees Jake looking at him intently. "Guess we just have to wait," he says softly, running a hand through Teddy's dark green hair. He sighs when Jake's arm squeeze him and Teddy in a comforting hug.

"Yeah," Jake agrees. He looks down at Teddy and can't help but feel bad for the kid. His grandmother's health is bad enough she can't watch him anymore (no one said it out loud but he thinks they don't expect her to see the new year), and his father is nowhere to be found. What will happen to the little guy?

He looks down sadly and runs a hand lightly through Teddy's hair, marveling at the strange color. "Harry," he murmurs, leaning down close to Harry's ear so they aren't overheard. "What happens to Teddy if— If Remus..." he trails off, unable to finish his thought.

Harry swallows thickly and shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I'm his legal godfather, so he'd probably come to me," he says quietly, looking up at Jake warily. He knows Jake likes Teddy well enough but that's as someone else's kid. Would he be alright with taking Teddy in? They have their own child coming; will it be too much, too soon, for Jake to handle?

"Good," Jake says, smiling softly and running a hand through Harry's messy hair, gently cupping the back of his head and kissing him softly. "Don't give me that look. I love Teddy, too. I would hate to see him end up with strangers or in some government housing."

Harry nods, throat feeling choked. He tries to will the tears away but he can't so he buries his face in Jake's neck, hoping to at least keep him from seeing him crying like some wishy washy weirdo. "Alright," he murmurs, love and affection warming his chest. How could he have doubted Jake? He'd apologize if he didn't have to explain why he was doing so. "I love him but I hope it doesn't come down to that."

"Same here," Jake says, nodding. He places a soft kiss on Harry's temple and just holds him close, willing Draco to return and give them news. He jumps when his phone vibrates in his pocket and checks it with a sheepish smile. "Charlotte," he says quietly, his face set in a blank mask.

Charlotte looks up from where she's speaking quietly with Carlisle. One look at Jake's face and she just nods, walks over to the fireplace and floos off to St. Mungo's.

"What?" Harry asks quietly, biting his bottom lip.

Jake shakes his head as he slides his phone back in his pocket. "Draco didn't say, just requested Charlotte."

"Oh," Harry says weakly and tightens his hold on Teddy. He's relieved to notice Teddy's soft, even breathing, glad he's fallen asleep. He doesn't know what's going to happen and he's cowardly enough to be grateful Teddy won't witness whatever it might be.

He gasps and nearly falls over when the floo sounds again, a floating stretcher coming through followed by Draco and Charlotte. He eases Teddy onto Jake's lap and rushes over. "What's— How is he?"

Charlotte and Draco share a look. "I'm not sure," she admits quietly, looking up at Harry. "He'd arrived at St. Mungo's but they refused to treat him," she says, her voice tinged with anger and disgust. What sort of healers did they employ there that would refuse treatment? "As far as I can tell, he's in a coma."

"Nigel is in critical condition," Draco says softly, not at all bothered when Harry clutches on to him and squeezes tightly. Neither of them knew the older man very well but it was clear how much he meant to Remus and Teddy. "He was taken in immediately, so I'm confident that he'll pull through and be fine," he says. "I'll check on him later."

Harry leans back from Draco and grabs Remus' hand, nearly bursting out into loud sobs when it's stiff and cool. "Bastards," he hisses, angrily wiping his eyes. He looks between Carlisle and Charlotte, "Will you help him? Please?"

"Of course," they answer at the same time. "I will do all that I can," Charlotte assures, her wand already moving around over Remus. Her eyes slide closed when the resulting lights and mists fade. Thankfully, the coma is keeping Remus alive but he never would have gotten to that point if he'd been treated immediately.

Anger simmers again but she tries to ignore it as she sorts through potions and waves her wand in the various healing spells. "Why would he be refused treatment?" she asks, distracted but still listening.

"He's a werewolf," Harry says quietly, hoping Charlotte doesn't stop what she's doing.

Charlotte's wand pauses and she looks up at a worried Harry. "So?" she says, her wand going back to its movements. "Like you boys?" she asks, looking between Jake and Joe. They slowly shake their heads and she shrugs. "Assholes," she growls under her breath. "That is no reason to refuse treatment! He could have died! How dare they," she fumes, her wand finally stilling but the white knuckled grip on it doesn't lessen.

The last empty vial floats towards her bag and she snaps it closed. "That's about all I can do for now, the rest is up to him," she says and gently smoothes a hand over Remus' forehead. She can't understand how a healer can refuse treatment. Werewolves aren't uncommon in their community so it just didn't make any sense to her.

"I'd like to go with you when you return, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco nods slowly, recognizing the simmering rage in her usually kind eyes. "Alright," he says with a small shrug. As Charlotte slowly returns her wand to her sleeve, he wonders how vicious the little healer can get and finds himself looking forward to it. Sure, he'll check on Nigel but he can certainly make time to back up Charlotte on her rampage.

"I can monitor him," Carlisle offers, feeling useful finally. As fascinating as healing magic is, he almost felt unneeded. "Will it hurt him?" he asks, looking at Harry and Draco. He has very little understanding how magical people handle muggle devices but he'd gotten the impression it wasn't an ideal match.

Harry shakes his head. "It shouldn't, as long as he doesn't blast it with magic, it'll be fine," he says, smiling a bit. "You won't be, like, putting needles in him, right?" he asks quietly, trying not to gulp nervously.

"I might need to, yes," Carlisle admits. "He won't stay healthy without intravenous fluids." He makes a mental list of all the known health issues of werewolves and feels confident he won't bring the man to further harm. Unlike Jacob's pack, the older man seems to be of the 'traditional' type of werewolf.

"Oh," Harry says, paling a bit. "Would you mind bringing everything here? I don't... I don't want him anywhere else."

Carlisle nods, giving Harry a small reassuring smile. "Of course, I understand completely. I'll go get what I need and come right back. Alice, would you please give me a hand?" he asks, looking at the little vampire. Not only can he use the extra hand, he's curious if Alice has some insight into the older werewolf's condition. She hasn't tried to See him yet and he's curious if he blanks her out like the other werewolves.

"Sure," Alice chirps and floats around the room hugging everyone. She smoothes Teddy's hair off his face and places a small kiss on his temple, a sad smile on her face. Poor little man. As soon as they hit the woods behind the house, she turns to Carlisle. "I can't See," she admits quietly. "Everything is hazy and flips between random visions too quickly."

Carlisle nods, a thoughtful hum coming out of him as he listens. He'd be lying if he said he isn't disappointed but this isn't the first time Alice's visions are unclear. "Are any of them... bad?" he finally asks, looking at Alice earnestly.

"No," Alice says brightly. "Well, none where he's dead, if that's what you mean," she says, a bit less brightly. "If I focus on Teddy, I see him with his dad but then I also see him with Harry and Jake..." she trails off. "I haven't any idea what leads to either outcome," she says, sounding very annoyed.

It's so aggravating when her visions aren't clear. She nearly stomps her foot in frustration.

Carlisle hums thoughtfully again. He'll just have to make sure he does everything in his power to make sure that little boy doesn't lose his father. They rush through the house, both blurs, gathering all the medical equipment he needs. "Emmett," he calls out, hoping his son is close by.

"Yeah," Emmett says, a moment later, leaning against the doorway to Carlisle's personal library. "What's up, doc?"

Carlisle smiles and claps Emmett on the shoulder. "I need to borrow your clever wizard bag, if you'd be so kind."

"Sure, no problem," Emmett says, not even bothering to ask why. He retrieves it from his room and hands it over, an eyebrow raising when he sees Carlisle filling it with medical equipment. "What happened?" he asks quietly, eyes darting between the filling bag and Carlisle's face.

"There's been an accident," Carlisle says, filling the bottom-less bag with a dozen bags of various IV fluids.

Emmett stiffens, barely resisting the urge to grab Carlisle and shaking the him for more information. "And?" he says, his fists clenching. Obviously, it's one of their human friends in trouble and he feels a bit nauseous.

"And I'm needed to help. I don't know how much Harry is comfortable with me sharing," Carlisle says with an apologetic smile. He doesn't discuss any of his patients with his family, no matter how well they might know them. "I know you're friends but that doesn't change anything," he reminds Emmett when he sees the vampire's mouth open to ask more questions and his brows furrow with irritation.

"Fine," Emmett says. "I'm coming with you."

Carlisle sighs. "Alright," he says after a moment of internal debate. He can't physically stop Emmett and he knows trying to reason with him won't work. Emmett is very fond of their wizard friends and nothing will dissuade him from making sure they're all alright. "Please don't harass any of them for information, alright?"

"Fine," Emmett says again, much less annoyed this time. Once Carlisle stops filling the bag, he shoulders it and shifts from foot to foot, an unneeded gesture of nerves and annoyance. "Ready?"

Carlisle chuckles and nods. "Yes, let's go." They grab a few extra blankets and both head back out towards Harry's house, running swiftly and quietly. As soon as they near the house, they stop and Carlisle puts a hand on Emmett's arm. "I'll take that now, thank you."

Emmett slides the bag off his shoulder and passes it over. Without waiting for Carlisle, he rushes into the house and pauses as he takes a look around the room. Hermione and Luna are snuggled up on the sofa, both stinking of smoke. Teddy is sleeping on a large cushion on the floor and he involuntarily growls when he realizes he's been badly injured. A stark white bandage winds around his little chest and arm.

He hurries over and cradles the child in his arms, stroking a finger gently down his face. "What happened?" he asks quietly.

"We're not sure," Harry says, staring at the large vampire cuddling a sleeping Teddy. He, like everyone, heard the growl first and nearly whipped his wand out before he realized it was Emmett. While the pair makes an endearing sight, he's not at all surprised to see Emmett's reaction. Everyone loves Teddy but Emmett seems to have a particular soft spot for the child.

"He's alright, though," he says, laying a hand on Emmett's arm. "Passed out after he had a big bowl of ice cream."

Emmett lets loose a relieved breath but doesn't let go of Teddy. "Good, good. You girls okay?" he asks, looking at Hermione and Luna. His serious, concerned expression morphs into a grin when they both nod. " _Datus Interuptus,_ eh _?_ " he asks cheekily, his warm amber eyes flicking between the now blushing witches.

It takes Hermione a moment before she realizes what Emmett means, translating the bad Latin. "No," she says, her cheeks warm. "We were not on a date."

"Alright," Emmett says easily, relieved enough they are alright he doesn't push and tease them some more them like he normally would. "Carlisle said something about Remus?" he asks.

Harry nods. "Yeah, coma."

"Oh, shit," Emmett says softly. He looks back down at Teddy and can nearly feel his non-beating heart breaking for Little Man. No kid should have to lose their parents, especially so young.

He glances at Harry, wondering what would happen to Teddy if the worst were to happen. He hasn't a doubt that Teddy will be welcomed here but he doesn't know how magic laws work and if Teddy will be allowed to go to Harry and Jake.

He clears his throat and settles back against the sofa, keeping Teddy close, enjoying the bundle of warmth. "Carlisle will pull him through," he says confidently. He looks around and only gets a bunch of small nods. He nearly forgets these are war-hardened people, not folks he can placate with wishful thinking. "Really, he's a fucking genius, centuries of experience and he'll do everything he can for Remus."

Harry, Hermione and Luna all look at Emmett with small but genuine smiles. "Thanks," Harry says quietly. He already knows but it's reassuring to hear it, nonetheless.

Emmett blinks when Luna beams a bright smile at him. "Can I apparate to your house?" the blonde witch asks, tilting her head a bit to the side.

"Luna! No!" Hermione scolds, hooking at arm around Luna's waist and pulling her against her. "You— We just got healed! You can't go apparating around!"

Emmett blinks again and finds himself nodding. He's sort of aware what Luna means by apparating and he's cool with it, all of them are. Only Bella seemed to mind it; complained the sound hurt her delicate wittle ears. He mentally rolls his eyes and gives Luna his attention again.

"Sure," he says, shifting Teddy a bit. He looks around the room. "You guys are all welcome at our house. Always."

"Hermione," Luna says, sounding a bit harsh and strange. "I'm fine! I need to speak with Alice," she says, her tone serious.

Hermione glares at Luna for all of eight seconds before throwing her hands up in defeat. She knows Luna well enough to recognize the stubborn set to her face and body; not to mention she knows she wants to ask Alice about something important.

"Do you promise you feel alright enough to apparate?" she whispers, grabbing Luna's hand and clutching it between both of hers.

"Of course," Luna says softyly, touched by Hermione's concern. She leans forward to press a quick kiss against Hermione's lips. "It's not far and I'll pop there and right back again, yeah?"

Hermione nods, her tongue flicking out unconsciously to wet her bottom lip. "Alright," she breathes. She flushes when she hears Emmett snicker, obviously enjoying her pervertedness. Even freshly healed, achy and lightly covered in unknown grunge, she can't control her body's reaction to Luna. "Please don't apparate back if you aren't feeling up to it."

"Alright," Luna agrees. Alice shouldn't mind carrying her, she's seen how fast vampires run so it won't be all that much longer. She leans forward again, cupping the back of Hermione's neck with her hand as she leans in and kisses her softly again, pressing their lips together for a long moment. "I'll be right back." She giggles softly at Hermione's stunned expression and pops off without another word.

Emmett chuckles, watching the dazed expression leave Hermione's eyes. He looks around the room and chuckles again. "I'm the only one here that would find that hot and I totally can't get into it!"

Joe laughs. "Poor Emmett," he coos playfully before ducking Draco's swinging hand. "What?"

"Both of you shut up," Draco hisses, annoyed. "Remus—" He takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, trying to rein in his anger and annoyance. He should realize by now people handle things in their own way. He doesn't see the point in ignoring the facts and using humor but he shouldn't snap at those that can. "Sorry, sorry, I'm just... Merlin, I don't even know."

Joe and Emmett share a look before Joe moves closer to his husband. "It's alright," he murmurs, rubbing the back of Draco's neck. "I didn't mean to come off as not giving a shit. But," he shrugs helplessly. "There isn't much else we can do."

"I know," Draco mutters.

Joe watches Draco struggle with words for a moment before hugging him tightly. He knows Draco and Remus only became friends recently but it still has to be hard on him. He's still impressed and turned on from when Draco marched through the fire with that haughty expression on his face, obviously prepared to bitch, rant and tear new assholes to get what he wanted done.

"I really think he'll be okay," he murmurs, cupping Draco's neck and kneading tense shoulders. "C'mon." He stands and pulls Draco up too.

"What?"

Joe just shakes his head and walks outside, heading towards the shed where the brooms are. "I want to see if I can fly on one of these fucking things," he says with a grin, holding a broom up with a lifted eyebrow.

"Doubt it," Draco says, smiling softly. He knows Joe is trying to distract him and he's rather grateful for it. Harry and Jake had left the room awhile ago and while he rather not know what they're doing, he's glad Harry isn't sitting there stewing the whole time.

"Alright, then," he says with an eye roll. He mounts his broom. He laughs when Joe goes to straddle the broom and it falls onto the grass.

Joe snorts, brushing the grass off the seat of his pants. "Well, I guess that's a no."

"That's a no," Draco agrees and wraps an arm around Joe's waist, pulling him close. "Wanna ride my broom?" he asks in a throaty whisper, nibbling on Joe's earlobe. He chuckles when he feels Joe shiver and nod. "Climb on," he instructs, leaning to give Joe some room.

Joe carefully climbs on the broom, eyes widening when he floats over the ground. He immediately clamps his arms around Draco's waist and leans against his back. "Fuck, please don't fall or drop me," he pleads quietly.

"I won't, love," Draco says, keeping his voice serious. He can feel Joe trembling and he doesn't want to joke around and possibly have Joe change his mind. He slowly tilts his broom up, rising a few feet into the air. When Joe doesn't freak out he goes a bit faster. "Doing alright?" he calls over his shoulder.

Joe nods, knowing Draco can feel it. He's not quite able to speak yet. Both from the lump in his throat—a dizzying combination of fear and exhilaration—and he's convinced the wind is whipping by too fast to be heard.

He doesn't need to know they're barely going 5 MPH...

~oOo~

Jake knocks on the bathroom door quietly.

"Yeah?"

"You alright, babe?"

Harry opens the door, his eyes red and bloodshot. "Yeah," he mumbles, immediately wrapping himself around Jake. He smiles wanly when Jake's arms come up and wrap around him tightly. "Sorry," he whispers.

"What for?"

Harry snorts and tucks his chin further down until it's almost touching his own chest. "Being such a... wussy," he says, finally remembering the word Seth had used.

"You aren't a wussy, Harry," Jake says seriously. Well, as seriously as he can while saying the word 'wussy'. He leans back and lifts Harry's face with a finger under his chin. "You aren't a wussy. You're emotional and a very close friend of yours is in a coma. You're allowed to get a little weepy." He watches with dismay as Harry's eyes water again and he nearly babbles an apology until Harry nods, giving him a small, watery smile.

"Alright," Harry agrees, sniffling wetly and tucking his face back into Jake's chest. He lets more sobs out, his anger and fear coming out with his tears. Why would someone hurt his friends? Is Remus going to be alright? He sniffles wetly again, his breath catching a few times as he tries to calm himself down.

He sighs softly when Jake picks him up and carries him to their bed, laying along side him without loosening the hold on him at any point. A satisfied smile grows on his face; he'd just been about to ask Jake for a lie down.

Jake holds Harry, humming with contentment when Harry snuggles into him. As much as he meant what he said earlier, he hates seeing Harry this worked up. The stress can be bad for the baby. He isn't going to be a big ass about it though so he'll let Harry have his moment of decompression.

He runs a hand through Harry's hair, smiling when Harry makes a soft, contented sound, and hopes Remus' coma doesn't last long.

"Jake?" Harry murmurs. He feels Jake hum in response, "I don't want them going home."

Jake nods. "I don't blame you."

"I mean it," Harry says adamantly. He leans up, propping himself up on an elbow and staring down at Jake fiercely. "I'm having them stay."

Jake nods, slowly. "Alright, we have room."

"Exactly!" Harry beams and settles back down against Jake. He knows all of them will argue and he's prepared to use anything at his disposal to get them to agree to stay. He'll even cry. He can't handle having them so far away, especially now. He never would have known there had been a problem if Luna hadn't floo'd them here.

He shudders; they might have died and he wouldn't have known about it for Merlin alone knew how long. He closes his eyes, Jake's scent and warmth soothing him into a doze.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Translations: *"I'm a snob, love, and proud of it."_   
>  _**"I'm going to suck your cock when we get to the car."_   
>  _***"Oh god, fuck me!"_   
>  _**** Oh fuck, I'm coming."_   
>  _Uh, again, don't know how accurate they are but ::shrug:: now you know what I was trying to have him say. ;)_


	19. Chapter 19

Harry blinks groggily, half-asleep and dimly registering being surrounded by a familiar, hard-yet-soft warmth and that he's no longer sitting up in a chair. He turns his head slightly and smiles softly when he sees Jake's arm and part of his shaggy dark hair in the dim light of their room. Warmth bursts through him as he realizes Jake has 'rescued' him from sleeping in the rocking chair.

He'd been visiting with Remus, even though the older werewolf is still in a coma. Jake had moved one of the numerous rocking glider chairs—Rosalie insisted on five of the sodding things; one for practically every room—by the modified hospital bed for him and he must have fallen asleep at some point during his visit.

It's been nearly three weeks and he's starting to get very nervous. He knows he himself had been in nearly a month long coma for magical exhaustion—more than once—with no lasting ill effects, he's still worried. Wizards might age differently than Muggles, but Remus wasn't a young man anymore, his health was already strained from years of frequent, painful werewolf transformations.

It was an odd sight to see Remus connected to all sorts of Muggle and Wizarding devices. Machines beeping or whooshing softly with magic. Charlotte and Carlisle both are optimistic, though. Remus' vitals are all good, healthy and strong, gaining in strength every day.

Charlotte guesses Remus' coma has gone on so long because he needs to heal his magical core. They both looked at each other, knowing he'd had to have nearly exhausted it to need so much time. Her frequent checks showed his core steadily gaining in strength and brightness each time and that's really the only thing keeping Harry from going completely mental.

Remus had even stayed in his coma during the full moon, his body changing into a wolf's for the duration. It had been fascinating but a little depressing. Harry had hoped the wolf transformation would snap Remus from the coma. Harry asked Draco, Neville, Hermione and Luna to ward the room, just in case, but it hadn't been needed.

He'd been momentarily optimistic when he saw glowing yellow eyes and a whispered "Cub?" but before he was able to realize just what had happened, the eyes were closed and Moony had been as unresponsive as Remus.

He'd been very surprised when Jake ran in 5 minutes later asking about Remus. "I heard him!" Jake said, sounding a bit breathless and excited. That led to a very confusing conversation that neither could figure out without Remus' input. Was the older wolf now somehow part of Jake's pack? Harry didn't know if it was possible but what other explanation was there? Jake had been in his wolf form and clearly heard Moony's soft 'Cub?' and saw brief, fuzzy images of Harry bent over him like he would with any of his other pack-mates.

Harry hated visiting Remus with Teddy. The little boy didn't quite understand why his daddy wouldn't get up and he'd often look at Harry with pleading green eyes and ask "When is daddy going to wake up?" He hated not having an answer for him. He'd been so very grateful that Greg brought Natalie over frequently or took Teddy for sleepovers. Emmett was another constant distraction for Teddy as well. The large vampire was rarely seen away from Teddy's side when he visited, keeping him occupied with various games or taking him outside for a 'run'.

They'd finally heard from Nigel; he'd been released from St. Mungo's a week ago and was currently making arrangements to come stay with Remus. Even if it wasn't said aloud, Harry got the distinct feeling Nigel wasn't making any plans on returning to England. While it was exactly what he wanted, he didn't want either man to feel pressured into staying and vowed to wait until Remus awoke before discussing future plans with them.

Hermione and Luna, much to his relief, hadn't needed much persuading to get them to stay. Neither of them had much keeping them 'home' and took Harry up on his offer, though they declined staying with him any longer than it took to find their own place or taking a house.

They even enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday, bemused at the holiday that seemed dedicated to consuming mass amounts of food and watching American Football on the telly. No one corrected them since that's pretty much how they saw it and they'd enjoyed the day, already making plans for next year. Four turkeys had barely been enough and Luna giggled, wondering if they could change 'tradition' a bit and try larger animals. Harry had been a bit surprised that Edward and Bella had shown up for a bit, even though neither of them strayed too far from the corner or from each other. Esme and Carlisle were the only ones that tried to bring them closer to the group or asked them to stay a bit longer.

Harry sighs, his eyes closing. It has been a very stressful few weeks and he's hoping for a sense of normalcy soon. He shivers when Jake's lips press against his neck and across his shoulders with slow, sweet little kisses.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he whispers, lacing his fingers with Jake's and gently squeezing the hand resting against his chest.

"You didn't," Jake murmurs, his mouth moving along Harry's shoulder and up his neck. He'd only been dozing, not quite tired enough to sleep but he hadn't wanted to pass up the opportunity to snuggle with Harry.

His wizard looked too adorable passed out in the chair earlier and doesn't look any less inviting sprawled across their large bed. He tried to keep his touches only to removing Harry's clothes, wanting him to be comfortable, so he didn't feel too much like a pervert fondling is unconscious husband. He didn't even pause to think twice, he'd just crawled in behind Harry and let his eyes close with Harry's warmth and scent surrounding him.

"You think too loud, though," Jake murmurs with a chuckle.

Harry's amused snort quickly morphs into a soft moan when Jake's teeth lightly nip his neck. "Sorry," he breathes again. "I've just been thinking..." he trails off, a quiet moan when Jake's hand brushes along a nipple while his teeth nip at his neck again.

"What about?" Jake asks, mostly focused on Harry's warm, pliant body.

He knows he can quickly, and easily, turn Harry into a mindless puddle of want but he likes the idea of going about it slowly, driving Harry insane and _then_ into a puddle of goo. He doesn't go slow and gentle nearly often enough and he nearly apologizes for it. He doesn't, though; he knows Harry enjoys however they make love just as much as he does.

Harry gasps and arches into Jake's hand when a thumb slowly circles a peaked nipple. It feels brilliant, more sensitive than before. Pleasure zips hot and fast through him. "Everything," he breathes, his mind going wonderfully fuzzy with Jake's ministrations.

"I see," Jake hums.

He knows what Harry was thinking about. The same thing that's been on his mind for weeks; Remus and getting Hermione and Luna to change their minds and live close by. He hopes he can succeed, if only to rest Harry's mind about it. He knows his pack members wouldn't care if Hermione and Luna are to be their neighbors. Everyone knows, and likes, the witches from their visit for the wedding.

Jake gently eases Harry onto his back, his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. He can see his husband's flushed face and chest heaving with quiet, heavy breathing. His gaze drifts down and he smiles, his hand gently splaying over the swell of Harry's belly. With Harry on his back like this, there is a definite swell that makes his hand bump up and curve a little. He loves it. He grins, feeling dazed and stupid with happiness.

"Stop for a while?" he murmurs, leaning in to cover Harry's lips with his own for a brief moment.

Harry nods, his thoughts already gone and forgotten. He tilts his head to the side so Jake's lips can trail along his jaw, neck and shoulder. He sighs with pleasure, his arms limp and flopping onto the bed when Jake's hands ghost along his sides and hips.

He can't help blushing when Jake's hands are gentle and soft, his touch reverent, caressing and fluttering over his stomach. It isn't the first time Jake's done this but he still blushes at the intense feelings it causes and what he sees reflected in Jake's eyes.

"Jake," he whispers and leans up a bit. Jake immediately leans down and kisses him again, licking into his mouth with a hungry sound.

"Harry," Jake murmurs, waiting until he sees a glint and knows Harry's eyes are open. He nuzzles his pale neck and smiles against the warm skin when Harry's arms wrap around him, hands sliding all over his back. He wiggles a bit until Harry lets go and slowly slides down his body, his lips and tongue covering every inch before his mouth settles over one pebbled nipple.

He grins when he hears Harry hiss a sharp breath at the sensation. It's new and sexy that they're so sensitive now. He flicks one with his tongue and nearly laughs when Harry arches into his face sharply, a hand coming up to cup the back of his neck to hold him steady. He sucks lightly, unwilling to get Harry that mindless just yet and with a shake of his head, releases himself to kiss down Harry's stomach, his tongue brushing along the soft skin.

Jake knows Harry is still adjusting and doesn't like his belly all that much, but he does; he adores the soft skin, the gentle give to the muscles there, the defined swell that clearly shows there's a child in there—their child. Sure, he likes when there were hard muscles and a flat bellt, but he likes the softness just as much. Especially knowing that just under the surface is their child. He can't seem to help it, it justspeaks to a baser nature.

He doesn't even pause, nuzzling Harry's belly and murmuring nearly inaudibly. He'll probably be a bit embarrassed later but he knows he'll be making a habit of talking to Harry's belly, especially as it grows.

Harry squirms, trying to move Jake's focus and nearly pouts when Jake's hands immediately wrap around his hips and keep him still. He gasps softly when Jake's tongue dips into his navel, his breath catching at the surprisingly erotic feeling. He cocks an eyebrow and lifts his head a bit when Jake's kisses bypass his cock and go down one thigh, over his knee and end at his toes.

He laughs softly and squirms, unable to help it, when Jake's tongue darts out to lick along the top of his foot. "What the hell are you doing, love?" he murmurs, twitching a bit at the odd sensation of Jake's tongue now dipping between the first two toes. He hadn't any clue his husband liked his feet that much.

"Dunno," Jake says, briefly lifting his mouth from Harry's foot. He looks up and laughs when he sees only amused confusion on his husband's face. "This ain't doing anything for you?" he asks and places a wet, noisy kiss on the tip of Harry's big toe, grinning.

Harry chuckles and gently jerks his foot from Jake's hand. "No, sorry."

"No problem," Jake says with a shrug. He wouldn't care if Harry liked it but it's good to know. He'd never even knew people got off on feet until Seth said something about it last week. He'd been curious while trying to not think about what the hell Seth had been watching to learn of such a thing.

He kisses back up Harry's leg, leaning a bit to place a soft kiss on the back and sides of Harry's knee. He grins when he hears a soft gasp and the leg twitches. Feet; no. Knees; yes. He runs his hands down Harry's legs, his fingers brushing along the sides and backs with feather light touches. Another gasp and a soft moan. He flutters his fingers further up, gently brushing the sensitive skin of Harry's inner thighs, his fingers just barely brushing against soft hair.

"Here then?" he whispers, leaning up and watching Harry closely now, his tongue wetting his bottom lip.

Harry looks down, huffing softly. He doesn't know whether to say 'yes' and put up with more teasing or say 'no' and hope Jake moves on to where he really wants him. He leans up slightly and glares instead, his eyes trying to promise pain and torture if Jake delays any longer. He growls softly when Jake only chuckles with delight and draws his fingers up his thighs and hips with deliberate slowness.

"Fuck," he groans softly, his head flopping back to his pillow. He'd complain, really, but it does feel amazing. He groans a bit louder when a finger brushes against the crack of his arse but swiftly retreats to tickle up his hipbone to his navel again. "Jake," he whines, wiggling a bit. He feels himself sway obscenely but he doesn't care.

"Yes, Harry?" Jake whispers, his mouth dropping to lay kisses across Harry's belly and up his chest. He runs his hands all over Harry, each and every spot he can reach, smiling when he feels a shiver work through his husband's body.

He slowly slides a hand down Harry's hips again, hooking a hand behind his knee and gently pushing up to rest it against his chest. He chuckles when Harry mutters a petulant 'bout time' and he slides down a bit on the bed to reach the back of his thigh better. He kisses down, tonguing the soft skin occasionally before dipping a bit to kiss the tight circle of muscle.

He'd probably freak himself out and not do it if he thought about but he doesn't allow himself any time for second thoughts. The jerk of Harry's body and the keening moan make it so worth it, motivates him. He moves his tongue in random patterns, pointing it occasionally and wiggling. A long, low and insanely sexy moan is his response and he has to squirm a bit against the bed to help ease some of the pressure off of his straining cock.

He didn't think he'd enjoy this so much.

Harry fists the sheets and cants his hips sharply, not quite caring he catches Jake by surprise. He needs more, dammit. The slow, romantic seduction nearly has him weeping he feels so overcome with emotions but his hormones are kicking the lust into overdrive and he can't handle the teasing pace anymore.

"Jake," he groans, his whole body quivering and on the verge of orgasm. He groans again with displeasure when Jake leaves his arse and hovers over him, his flushed amused face popping up above his.

"Yes, Harry?" Jake murmurs, licking his lips. He's oddly turned on by the taste left there and he grins when Harry's darkened eyes glare up at him. He squeaks with surprise when Harry's hand darts up, gripping him firmly behind the neck, and pulls him down to crush their lips together.

He moans into Harry's mouth before pulling back with tremendous effort. "What do you want?" he whispers, his hand sliding down Harry's sides and hips. Before Harry can even formulate an answer, he wraps a hand around Harry's hard, leaking erection and slides his hand up, dragging his thumb over the weeping head.

He moans softly when Harry's whole body shudders with pleasure. "What do you need?" he asks quietly, his teeth latching onto Harry's collarbone. He nips and licks, groaning softly when Haery moans unashamedly in his ear. "You want _me_. You need _me,_ " he murmurs in Harry's ear, palming Harry's belly possessively before gripping his cock and stroking slowly.

Harry nods vigorously. Yes, Merlin, yes he wants Jake. He _needs_ him. "Yes," he whispers and nearly weeps with relief when he hears Jake snapping open a bottle, finally opening the lube. He can't conjure it, not anymore, or he'd have done by now. He hisses with pleasure when Jake immediately slides two slicked fingers inside, his earlier ministrations causing little resistance against the intrusion.

Jake growls softly with pleasure, both at Harry's whispers and the incredible feeling of Harry gripping his fingers. He goes slow, enjoying Harry's curses and growls to go faster. He won't. He wants to make Harry explode—or maybe melt—with pleasure and feel his love. He snickers at himself, enjoying his corny mental moment.

He slowly twists his wrist and slips a third finger in, chuckling and leaning down to kiss along Harry's inner thigh, up a hipbone, when he hears an impatient 'finally!'. "Shut it, you. I'm doing this my way," he mumbles, focusing on wiggling his fingers slowly and allowing one to brush along Harry's prostate, chuckling lowly when it brings a loud keening moan from Harry.

He looks up and licks his lips when he notices the steadily growing puddle of pre-come on Harry's belly and slowly drags his tongue through it, smacking his lips obscenely when he pulls back.

"Fuck, Jake!" Harry hisses, twitching almost violently at the assault on his senses. He feels ready to melt... or explode... or just float away. His hands fist in the sheets, hips moving in time with Jake's. He has to focus on keeping them there or he'll be pulling Jake's hair out by accident.

Jake glances up and relents, pulling his fingers free slowly. He shifts to press their hips together as he settles over Harry, keeping most of his weight up and off his Harry with his elbows. "Harry," he whispers, waiting to see his eyes open again. Again, he sees the sheen of opened eyes, barely able to make out the thin band of green around blown pupils.

He shifts forward and slicks himself a bit awkwardly with one hand, propping himself up with the other. As soon as he slips inside, he moans softly and buries his hand in Harry's hair, angling his head so they can kiss deeply. "I love you," he whispers against Harry's lips, his whole body trembling with emotion and tension.

"And I love you," Harry whispers back, trying not to close his eyes when he feels Jake shift and move inside him. As impatient as he'd been, Jake's thorough job earlier leaves him feeling completely relaxed, only the sensation of wonderful fullness and mind-numbing pleasure. "Oh fuck, move, love. I'm so ready," he pleads softly.

Jake grunts softly and draws back slowly, still intent on drawing everything out until they probably died from pleasure. He keeps his thrusts slow, sweat quickly covering him with the effort. He grunts again when Harry shifts, his hips angling perfectly when he wraps his legs around his hips.

He doesn't go much faster, but he does pick up the pace slightly when Harry begs and he sinks in deeper. He rolls his hips, nearly mindless to the incredible pleasure and has to work on keeping his movements slow, deep and deliberate. Even with the slow pace, he soon feels Harry's body start to tighten and spasm around him.

"Oh," Harry pants, his eyes sliding closed as his head tilts back. He can feel everything tremble but he doesn't loosen his hold on Jake, hissing a rather loud moan when Jake's mouth latches onto his neck and sucks harshly before the pressure slacks and he peppers gentle kisses over the tender skin.

His head thrashes weakly from side to side as his cock pressed tightly between their bellies. His throat works but he can't make any words, not that he really needs to warn Jake. He comes quietly, his body clenching and arching, his breath and heart stuttering briefly from the intensity. He's pretty sure he blanks out for a long moment.

Jake grunts, unable to hold himself back once he feels Harry's body tighten, the quiet grunting gasp as he comes. He knows he's twitching like a landed fish but he can't help it; his body feels deliciously twisted and wrung out as he finds his own orgasm, grinding into Harry.

He pants harshly, flopping on top of Harry for a moment, unable to shift off of him no matter how much he fears squishing his wizard.

"I'm dead. Or maybe blind," Harry whispers with a contented hum. He weakly wraps his arms and legs around Jake, squeezing himself around the cock still in his arse. Merlin, that always feels amazing. He chuckles weakly when Jake grunts in agreement. He runs a hand through Jake's damp hair and hums softly.

Jake mumbles into Harry's neck, nipping and kissing the pale, damp skin and making Harry twitch. He pulls away and slides ungracefully to the side, wincing a bit as he slides out of Harry, and draws his husband close.

"Still?" he asks again, his earlier words apparently unheard.

"A bit," Harry says with a soft chuckle. "Everything was speckly," he says sleepily, a tint of wonder in his voice. He yawns, flopping over to lay across Jake in a boneless heap. "'M tired, sleeping now. Love you," he murmurs, lightly kissing Jake's chest.

Jake hums. "Love you, too. 'Night," he whispers, already hearing soft snores from Harry. He runs a hand though Harry's messy hair, his thoughts slowly returning. It's barely 10 o'clock and he's not tired. He's deliciously languid and drowsy from sex but if he can keep his eyes open he knows it'll pass in a few minutes.

He looks down and smiles softly. Harry seems to be tired a bit more these days, nothing extreme or worrisome but before the pregnancy he rarely took naps and it wasn't uncommon for them to be up past midnight most nights. He sighs and lets his hands wander Harry's back, holding back a chuckle when Harry gives a sleepy giggle and wiggles gently before stilling and his breathing going soft and steady again.

Christmas is not even two weeks away. He lays there, thinking of what to get everyone, making a mental list. The only thing he knows Harry, and probably Teddy, wants is an awake Remus. He hasn't a clue how to make that happen, though. Waiting appears to be the only option. Charlotte and Carlisle have already done everything they could and can only monitor his progress. He isn't even all that sure how Harry celebrated Christmas. Or if he even did.

He makes another list; decorations. He'll change what he needs to but he can't _not_ have the house looking like Christmas with two small kids spending the bulk of the holidays there. He smiles and nuzzles Harry, his hand sliding down to it's now familiar place on Harry's belly, looking forward to the holidays.

~oOo~

"I think we should."

"Luna," Hermione sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose before pinning her girlfriend with a stern look. "I can't. _We_ can't," she corrects softly. They'd talked about living together and Luna practically lived in her flat now, but a house? Together? That didn't give her pause nearly as much as accepting one from Harry. As a _gift_.

She nearly rolls her eyes; she should have known he'd do something like that. She was less surprised at his quiet, sheepish expression when he asked if they'd live in America.

Luna crosses her arms under her breasts and scowls at Hermione darkly. Hermione tries to ignore the reaction her body has to that look. "And why not? It's rude to refuse a gift." She nods, as if it's a final thing.

She nervously chews her bottom lip, her face smoothing a bit before pinching ever so slightly with apprehension, her arms dropping to hand limply at her sides. "Unless. It's _me_ that's making you refuse," she says quietly, averting her gaze from Hermione. She can't help her moments of insecurity, no matter how much she wants to.

"Of course not!" Hermione cries, throwing her hands up. At Luna's questioning look, she rolls her eyes playfully and draws the blonde witch against her front, her hands rubbing along Luna's back in soothing caresses before wrapping about her shoulders. "No, we practically live together now," she murmurs, smiling against the blonde hair when she feels Luna relax. "That's really not an issue. But. Come on, Luna, you have to agree this is a bit much."

Luna leans back and gives Hermione a happy smile. "Not for Harry it isn't."

"Of course," Hermione says and rolls her eyes again. Leave it to Harry freakin' Potter to just _give_ people houses. "We'd be living near Jake's pack," she says slowly.

Luna's brows wrinkle a bit, adorably in Hermione's opinion. "So? I like them," she says happily with a soft, delighted laugh. She looks forward to seeing just what sort of species run rampant in the Americas. "I don't think Seth will flirt with me any longer, if that's your concern."

"It's not, and I don't have a problem living by them, I was merely pointing that fact out. What if _they_ have a problem with _us_ being there?" she asks quietly.

She knows wolf packs can be rather territorial and tricky to handle when you aren't part of one. They aren't related by blood or a pack member, just friendship. They were all very friendly last time they visited, but she doesn't know how long that would last when things became more permanent.

Luna snuggles in against Hermione. "They won't. We're nearly family, anyway," she says, sneaking her hands under Hermione's blouse and sliding up warm, soft skin. She sighs at the contact.

"Yes, well..." Hermione starts, trying to ignore the warmly tingly pleasure from Luna's touch. "We do want to move here, right?" she finally asks, voicing her last concern.

With the exception of her job, she only has Luna keeping her near London. Her parents can visit her here as easily as there and everyone else she's been socializing with since her break-up with Ron is in America. She knows she could easily find a position with the American Wizarding Bureau, already impressed with quite a few of their more advanced theories and legislation.

Luna hums, nodding against Hermione's neck. "I do. I love it here! Everything is so new and sparkly." She kisses along one thinly covered collarbone. "I missed it here," she says softly. "Daddy won't be back for another two years," she adds, hoping to give Hermione more reasons to stay where they are. "Please," she pleads, looking up at Hermione earnestly.

She bats her eyes for effect and giggles when Hermione visibly crumbles. She squeaks happily and kisses Hermione's nose.

"Oh, fine!" Hermione huffs, dramatizing a bit. "I don't think we should refuse or accept until we've seen the houses."

Luna thumps Hermione gently. "How rude! You shouldn't inspect a gift of worthiness first, love," she chides gently. Though, she did see the wisdom in it. She certainly doesn't want to pick a house infested with Menkers or Splanks.

"No!" Hermione says, pulling back and giving Luna a horrified look. "No, I meant to see where it is... I'd rather stay close by," she admits quietly. It's tempting just to stay living in the big house but she likes the idea of a bit more privacy as much as she dislikes the thought of being too far away.

Luna hums, snuggling back down against Hermione. She runs a soothing hand along her side and huffs a soft laugh when Hermione's annoyed huff turns into a breathy, soft moan. "Alrighty! I'm sure they're close by, though."

"Fine," Hermione huffs again, slapping lightly at Luna's hand sneaking under her bra. She'd stopped being surprised at Luna's boldness weeks ago. It really isn't uncommon for Luna to just jam her hands under Hermione's clothing with no warning; she had to be very careful where and when she wears skirts.

She squeaks and twitches when Luna giggles and her hand slides into her panties instead, her nimble fingers immediately wiggling. "Stop that," she says, pulling at Luna's wrist. "I haven't cast a silencing charm." Neither of them are particularly loud but she doesn't want to take any chances.

Luna leans up and gives Hermione a heated look that makes the other witch shiver. She grins when Hermione's eyes widen a bit. "So?" she asks cheekily, her hand diving back inside Hermione's panties long enough to pull the silky material just enough to slide them down her shapely legs.

Hermione's gaze darts to the door and she flushes. She knows it's not a secret her and Luna are together but she doesn't want to rudely advertise that fact. Plus, she's quite certain neither couple wants to hear them. " _So_ , it's rude," she hisses, struggling with trying to get her panties back up and Luna's wandering hands off of her. Normally, she wouldn't dream of fending off Luna's advances, but this is too awkward.

"Luna," she huffs, wiggling across the bed a bit to escape Luna's determined mouth trying to latch onto her neck.

"Yes, Hermione?" Luna asks sweetly, with a giggle and a hop she lands on top of Hermione. She pins the other witch and beams a triumphant smile down at her. "Gotcha!" she crows and kisses her. "I win so I'm on top," she declares smugly, arching her hips into Hermione's just so.

Hermione's eyes flutter closed and she's starting to question the idea of getting away from Luna. Who cares if those stupid boys hear? Maybe they'll re-think trying to get them to live here... "Fine," she says with mock reluctance.

She goes limp and smiles when Luna giggles happily and proceeds to remove her clothes with a murmured spell. It still thrills and surprises her when Luna does it wandlessly. Her eyebrow perks up when her white cotton bra changes into a lacy pink one instead of disappearing.

"Oooh, pink!" Luna says happily and cups the lace covered breasts. "I wanted purple but pink is much better," she says airily, her fingers flexing gently. Another murmured spell and her own clothes vanish. She hums happily when their bodies come into full contact and she smirks down at a surprised Hermione. "I wonder if they've got silencing charms on their own rooms?" she asks absently, her pale blue eyes a bit darker with desire.

She slowly leans down and resumes her earlier task of kissing every centimeter on Hermione's neck, delighted when Hermione doesn't try to stop her again.

Hermione moans softly, her head flopping to the side to give Luna plenty of room. "I hope so."

~oOo~

Seth fidgets nervously, waiting on the front step after he's knocked. He jumps a bit when the door swings open and he sees the imposing figure of Gregory Goyle blocking most of the doorway. Holy shit the guy is huge.

"Hello, Greg."

"Hey, Seth," Greg says pleasantly, trying not to chuckle at the nerves clearly showing on Seth's face and in his body language. He nearly rolls his eyes; well, at least the kid stopped calling him 'sir'. No matter how many times he's reassured Seth he's fine with him, the bloke won't relax around him.

He likes Seth—it's hard not to. Seth treats his sister with the utmost respect, edging into reverence, and he adores his daughter as well. Greg already counts the young man as family and can't figure out how to get him to relax yet.

"How're you?" he asks and waves Seth inside.

Seth looks around nervously before giving Greg his full attention. "I'm good. You?" he asks, barely restraining himself from adding a 'sir' or averting his eyes.

"Can't complain," Greg says and chuckles. He grins when Natalie comes running into the foyer, her princess dress-up shoes clacking loudly against the marble as she hurries over.

"UNCLE SETH!" Natalie screams and launches herself at Seth, smacking the poor guy right in the crotch. She doesn't notice his wince of pain as she jumps around. "Uncle Seth! Uncle Seth! Uncle Seth!" she chants, hopping around in a circle with her arms up and wiggling.

Seth swallows thickly, trying to keep the girly scream from coming out and slowly bends over to pick up Natalie. What is with kids always nailing his junk? "Hey squirt," he greets, relieved his voice isn't as high and squeaky as he feared, smiling at the little girl.

"You're going on a da-a-ate," Natalie chirps cheekily, swinging her legs gently. She giggles when Seth blushes and looks at her daddy. "Are we going, too?"

Greg laughs and plucks his daughter out of Seth's grip, the poor guy looking ready to run away or burst into flames. "No, just people that like each other go on a date."

"Oh," Natalie says, her little eyebrows scrunching together. They all like each other, so she didn't really get why they weren't going too. "I saw auntie Gloria! She looks so pretty!" she says and claps her hands happily. "I helped," she says proudly and puffs out her little chest. She made sure auntie Gloria's shoes were extra pretty and matched her dress and even helped comb her hair.

Seth nods blankly, slowly calming down from his earlier embarrassment. He knows he shouldn't be embarrassed but he still gets a bit awkward around Gloria's massive big brother. It certainly isn't their first date and he wills himself not to think about what might happen later in the evening. He truly fears Greg would be able to see the lusty thoughts in his brain and crush his throat. Or rip his junk off. Big brothers are fucking scary.

"Good," he squeaks, realizing Natalie had spoken to him.

His mind blanks and the two in the foyer with him fade into the background when he sees Gloria come down the stairs. Subtly (because he would so _not_ ogle his girl so obviously in front of Greg) he looks Gloria over, appreciating the soft pink colored cocktail dress hugging her curves and dipping modestly in the front to show the barest hint of her cleavage. His gaze slides down her legs and he has to stop himself from mentally caressing them. He _loves_ her legs. He notices the matching heels strapped to her feet last, liking the modest heel.

He absently wipes his chin, hoping he's not drooling.

"Hi," Seth breathes when she's finally standing in front of him. He smiles at her blush, brushing the tips of his fingers over the heated skin and places a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. He really wants to just grab her, wrap his arms around her and kiss her breathless but he won't do that with an audience. "You look great," he murmurs, his gaze still roaming over her. He hopes he's not being creepy, he just can't stop looking.

"Hi," Gloria says, blushing but enjoying the attention. She did not miss the way Seth's attention riveted solely on her the moment he saw her. While it made her nearly float with pleasure she's still getting used to the intense focus. "You too," she says sincerely.

Not that Seth ever looks bad but she hasn't seen him look so... dressed up before. She glances appreciatively over the light purple button down shirt and black dress slacks. She nearly runs her fingers over the black leather jacket he's wearing. She fights another blush, not really surprised by the desire she felt, and mentally promises to give her full admiration in private.

She slowly turns to her brother, standing on her toes to kiss his cheek before smacking a loud kiss on Natalie's cheek, too. "Don't wait up," she says brightly.

Greg chuckles and rolls his eyes. He nearly jokes about finally being noticed again but doesn't, knowing both of them would probably just burst into flames. "I won't," he says. He grins and wiggles his eyebrows, a booming laugh bouncing around the foyer a moment later when Seth's face pinks violently.

He really doesn't mind the occasions Gloria stays with Seth. She's an adult, in a serious relationship and only two houses away. He isn't a complete prude or heartless bastard so he'd never try to restrict her actions.

"It's quite alright," he says lightly, setting Natalie on the floor and shooing her out of the area with a quiet promise to watch another princess film. He kisses the top of his sister's head and pats Seth on the shoulder. "Really, Seth. Stop looking like I'm going to castrate you with gardening equipment."

"Alright," Seth squeaks, not at all relaxing. He nearly cups himself; he'd never thought of gardening equipment and the many threats it offered to his manhood. He clears his throat and wiggles his shoulders to try to get them to relax. "So, what are you guys doing for Christmas?"

Greg grins. "Spending it with the family, of course."

"Oh," Seth says, deflating.

He'd really hoped he could spend it with Gloria. He looks at Gloria with sad eyes before looking back at Greg with a resigned nod. Maybe he could invite himself along? He didn't think he'd handle being that far away from Gloria... especially not for any real length of time. He doesn't want to find out the hard way what happens when separated from his lovely imprint.

Greg laughs again, practically reading Seth's thoughts. "Harry and Draco insisted we spend it with them, so..." he trails off, shrugging one shoulder. He still got a bit choked up when he thought about it. He didn't think they asked out of pity, Harry insisting they are basically family now, so he immediately accepted.

"Oh!" Seth says, smiling. "I thought you meant family back home."

Greg shakes his head slightly, a small smile on his face. "We are home. There isn't really any other family for us." He shrugs one shoulder, again, a bit carelessly. Gloria's adoptive family didn't celebrate Christmas and he didn't mourn the loss of the rest of his family anymore.

"Oh," Seth says again. He looks at Gloria and beams a smile at her. "That sucks but... well, I'm glad you guys consider us family, 'cause..." he trails off, blushing again. "You know, you _are_ family... and stuff."

Gloria takes Seth's hand, squeezing it gently. She's just as excited to spend Christmas with Seth and his pack, never having a large family to enjoy the holidays with. Her adoptive family is small, just her and her parents. No other relatives that she ever knew of... at least until she met her brother. It's almost overwhelming to suddenly gain such a large family practically overnight.

"We have to go soon or we'll be late," she says quietly.

"Right! Yeah, sure," Seth says, nodding vigorously.

He gets Gloria's coat and helps her into it, making sure it's buttoned all the way up. He wraps a scarf around her neck and carefully tucks her bouncy curls into a knit hat. He checks her over, making sure she's bundled up enough against the cold, and entirely misses the fond looks he gets from Greg and Gloria. He'd probably be a bit embarrassed to be caught fussing like a mother hen, but he can't help it. As much as he loves keeping Gloria warm himself, he doesn't want her shivering since he can't realistically be wrapped around her constantly.

"Ready," he says brightly, kissing her cheek as he tucks an errant curl under her hat.

Gloria smiles and sneaks a kiss on Seth's lips, giggling softly at his stunned expression. "Ready," she agrees and then waves to her brother. "Night!" she calls out, hurrying Seth out the door. She grins when she sees Seth practically strutting down the walkway.

She gasps softly when she sees him heading towards an old Bronco. "Wow, when did you get this?" she asks, eyeing the lightly rusty vehicle. She's proud Seth got his license shortly after they started dating and didn't really care when he had to borrow someone else's car when they went out. She grins at him, knowing he's proud of himself for getting his own car.

"Today," Seth says proudly, his chest puffing out a bit. "Jake helped me," he says, hurrying towards the passenger side and unlocking the door, helping Gloria up and into the seat. He grins and carefully closes the door. He watches Gloria lean across and unlock his door, feeling a burst of happiness go through him. It's a simple thing but just one of those things he loves about her. He hops in and grabs her impulsively, kissing her briefly but thoroughly. "Thanks," he murmurs, winking.

Gloria flushes but smiles back, a thrilling rush of warmth going through her. "You're welcome," she whispers and laughs when Seth has a bit of a problem starting the car. "Needs some love, huh?"

"Yeah," Seth says, a little embarrassed. He knows Gloria doesn't care about material things but he wishes he could get a nicer car; he'd nearly considered asking Harry or Draco but they'd already done way too much. He smiles when she beams happily at him, a hint of pride in her expression. "Needs some work but Jake's cool with me working on it at his garage when I can."

Gloria nods, humming thoughtfully. She wasn't sure what to get Seth before but now she's got a good idea. Hopefully. "What does it need?" she asks and trails a hand over the worn fabric covering the side of the seat. She looks around and smiles again, already imagining a new interior.

"Well, needs almost everything under the hood replaced, eventually. Then, I guess I'll get it painted and the interior redone," Seth says, thoughtfully rubbing the steering wheel.

Gloria hums again, a secret smile on her face. "What colors?"

"I really liked that metallic blue and probably a light creme color for the interior, with like, a coffee colored piping..." Seth trails off, imagining it in his mind's eye. He blinks and grins sheepishly at Gloria. "Sorry, didn't mean to talk cars."

Gloria runs a hand over Seth's thigh, keeping the touch light and reassuring. "I don't mind, I like hearing you talk about things that interest you." She didn't know much about cars before but she found herself just as interested and listening whenever Seth got talking. She nearly giggles at the mental image of her all greasy, helping Seth noodle with the car. "I find myself interested more, too."

"Oh," Seth says, now half-distracted by the hand on his leg. He almost misses his turn and chuckles, shaking his head ruefully. He can barely concentrate but he really, really doesn't want to ask Gloria to move her hand. "So," he says, peeking a look over at Gloria. "We should do some shopping then. I've barely gotten anything," he admits, a bit sheepish. He hasn't had to buy for so many people before and he's a bit nervous.

Gloria nods and shifts in her seat to look at Seth better. "Sure. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Nope," Seth says happily. He does have to work but Jake never gave him shit if he needs to call off. "Do you know what you want to get everyone?"

Gloria worries her bottom lip with her teeth. "Not really, no. I haven't a clue." She already knows what she wants to get for Seth, Natalie and her brother. Teddy won't be too hard to shop for either but... everyone else confuses her and she doesn't want to exclude them. She glances at Seth with a questioning look, hoping he'll help.

"Well," Seth says, patting Gloria's hand briefly before entwining their fingers together. "We'll just look around until we see something, how about that?"

Gloria smiles at Seth, shaking her head a bit at herself. Why hadn't she thought of that? "Brilliant, love."

Seth flushes with warmth at the endearment and raises their joined hands to kiss the back of Gloria's. "I am a genius," he says brightly.

Now that they're actually on their way, he's no longer nervous about their date. He'd found a classy restaurant with Draco's help and barely even cared it was ridiculously expensive. He'll do it all the time if it got Gloria looking so amazing.

~oOo~

A soft, pained grunt has Harry bolting upright, wincing from the ache in his back from the chair. They're comfortable but not made for hours and hours of sitting and napping in. Apparently.

"Remus?" he whispers.

Amber eyes flutter open and another pained grunt sounds in the room. "Cub?"

Harry jumps out of the chair and rushes over to the bed, gently grabbing Remus' hand. He doesn't bother calling Charlotte or Carlisle. The healer has a monitoring charm on the room and the vampire is close enough to be able to hear him.

"Remus!" he says happily, leaning down and gently hugging the older werewolf. "Holy shit—! How are you?" he asks, his voice thick with the threat of tears.

"Tired," Remus says carefully, voice hoarse and rasping. He smiles wanly and hugs Harry back as tightly as he can. "What...?" he trails off, a hand rubbing his temple. His mind is still fuzzy as he tries to remember and a sharp pain goes through his head. He grunts softly and relaxes into the bed.

Harry smiles gently and pats Remus' chest to make him lay back down. "You've been out for almost a month, Remmy."

"A month?" Remus breathes. "What happened?" he asks quietly, wrapping one of Harry's hands in both of his. He pats the bundle of hands, trying to sooth and comfort, feeling a bit bad at having obviously worried Harry. Fuzzy, loud snippets of memories are all he can dredge up.

Harry shrugs, wiping a stray tear because Remus is trying to comfort him even now. He turns when he hears footsteps hurrying towards the room. A moment later he's gently pushed aside by Charlotte. He watches the healer wave her wand, murmuring and nodding her head randomly.

"No one seems to know exactly," he says, finally answering Remus' question. "Some kind of explosion when you lot went to the zoo. Luna thinks some sort of Muggle altercation." He watches Charlotte sort through potions.

"Oh Merlin," Remus gasps, paling slightly. "Teddy, Hermione, Luna—Nigel!"

He goes to push out of bed and huffs with impatience when he's pushed back by Harry _and_ Charlotte. He doesn't even notice Charlotte waving her wand around him in intricate patterns again and muttering softly to herself instead of taking notes like usual, forgoing them in her rush to get to the room.

He stares at Harry, a pleading expression on his face. He wants to bound from the room and search for Nigel and Teddy but he knows he'll be strapped to the bed and probably knocked out.

Harry chuckles, ignoring Remus' glare. "They're all fine." He smiles when Remus relaxes. "Matter of fact..." he trails off when he hears more footsteps, Teddy tearing into the room with a happy whoop, Nigel and Carlisle right behind him. Harry grins when he notices Nigel is moving almost as quickly as Teddy.

"Daddy!" Teddy cries, climbing up the bed and crawling into his daddy's lap. He wraps his arms around his daddy's waist and squeezes tightly. "You're awake!"

Remus smiles and runs a hand through Teddy's hair, watching as it changes color rapidly with Teddy's excitement and happiness. "I am, cub."

He smiles when Nigel approaches the bed, slowly, as if he isn't sure what to do. "Hullo, love," he says quietly, reaching a hand out and clasping it tightly when Nigel reaches out. He blinks away the prickling sting behind his eyes, unwilling to allow them to blur and distort his vision of his cub and Nigel.

"Oh, Remus," Nigel whispers, leaning down and placing a kiss on the top of Remus' head, his lips resting there for a long moment as his eyes slip closed. He blinks rapidly as his eyes water. "You've nearly missed Christmas," he says lamely, chuckling wetly.

Teddy nods, looking between his daddy and Nigel. "Yeah! But now you can open presents!" he says excitedly and hugs his daddy again. He was getting a little scared his daddy would keep sleeping. "Are you better now?" he asks, looking up, his hair going the exact shade of Remus'.

"I think so, cub," Remus says softly and ruffles Teddy's honey-colored hair fondly. He sighs happily and leans back in bed, pulling Nigel closer. "I'm sorry," he whispers.

Nigel blinks, his confusion wiping out everyone else in the room. He gently cups Remus' cheek and shakes his head. "You've nothing to be sorry for," he says softly but firmly. He places his lips against Remus' temple and closes his eyes, just breathing in the familiar scent and trying to calm his raging emotions. He'd practically ran here when he heard Carlisle say Remus was awake. He jumps a bit when he feels a cold hand on his elbow.

"Sorry," Carlisle says softly. "I won't ask you to leave but would you mind moving over about a foot?" he asks kindly, waving some sort of muggle medical instrument.

Nigel flushes and scoots over, happy he doesn't have to leave. He shares a grin with Teddy and they both watch Carlisle press a strange instrument to Remus' temple and murmur something to the healer. A hush goes over the room when Carlisle bends towards Remus' chest a bit, his head cocked as he listens to his heartbeat.

When the vampire steps back, Nigel scoots against Remus' side again and leans on his shoulder. "Everything alright, love?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," Remus says just as quietly. "A bit tired but otherwise, none the worse for wear." He snakes an arm around Nigel's waist, content in being surrounded by his familiar scent.

He watches the two doctors talk and his brows furrow. "Is there a problem?" he says loud enough for both to hear.

Charlotte and Carlisle share a look. "Not at all," Charlotte says brightly. "You're magical core is back where it should be and you've apparently suffered no ill effects from the transformation while comatose."

"Alright," Remus says slowly. "So why the weird doctor meeting?" he asks, a hint of amusement in his tone. He's never had such a pleasant experience with healers before and he's feeling oddly giddy.

Carlisle chuckles and a slightly guilty look flashes across his handsome, pale face. "I'm afraid that's my fault. I was being a bit nosy." He knows he should ask the man directly but he wanted to know from Charlotte if there was some sort of healer code (or of the magical community) he'd be going against if he asked questions and maybe did a few tests.

Apparently being classed as a magical being himself didn't seem to break any codes, seeing as how he wasn't going to make the information public or available to Muggles.

"Huh?" Harry asks, his brows coming together. He's never known Carlisle to be anything but respectful and highly professional. He glances at the vampire and has the distinct feeling he'd be blushing if he were able to.

Carlisle steps closer to the bed and places a hand gently on Remus' arm. "I was curious of your condition. The lycanthropy. You're a true werewolf. A child of the moon, as it were," he says with a small smile. "The others, they aren't the same."

"I know," Remus says, sounding just as intrigued as Carlisle. "I've always wondered why that was so." None of the werewolves he's met here are like him. They all change at will and have none of the horrible traits he tried to hide from. He's never admitted it aloud, but he'd been envious of them. Having the strengths with none of the traits that made him a monster.

Harry hums thoughtfully, sitting back in his chair. "Jake said he heard Remus, though," he says and startles when everyone turns to look at him. "He came running in here the first night Remus transformed. He heard Moony."

"Fascinating," Carlisle murmurs. He hasn't any idea what it all means but he's intrigued nonetheless. "As I said, I was being nosy..."

Remus chuckles and shakes his head. "It's quite alright, Carlisle. I'm not bothered in the least. You haven't offended me in any way," he says seriously.

He nearly expected some kind of turmoil the first time he'd met the vampires and was pleasantly surprised none of them were anything but friendly. Carlisle has always been pleasant and respectful.

"Thank you," Carlisle says, inclining his head. "Is it alright with you if I ask Hermione a few things. And you as well? It won't be a problem, I hope," he looks at Remus, his amber eyes nearly dancing with anticipation.

"Not at all," Remus says with another chuckle. He recognizes the look on the vampire' face; he's seen it on Hermione's enough times to know he won't be able to get away from the curious doctor. "Hermione will happily answer anything you'd like to know and if she doesn't, she'll disappear into the closest library to find the answer." He chuckles again when Carlisle nods knowingly; he's well aware of Hermione's traits and adores the witch. They're quite similar.

"Right, not to be rude, but—" He shifts in the bed. "I'd like a more comfortable bed and a few hours of rest." He sighs happily when the bed gets softer and much more comfortable. He gives Teddy as tight a hug as he can without disturbing him when he realizes he's fallen asleep and waits for Nigel to take the sleeping child off of the bed before he shuffles down in the newly transfigured bed.

Nigel waits until the room clears, smiling when Harry sniffles and hugs Remus tight enough to make the older man wheeze slightly before leaving. "Really, are you alright?" he asks softly, staring intently into the kind amber eyes he so adores.

"Yes, I truly am," Remus says, giving a tired smile. "Both healers said I'm fine. And I feel fine, just tired." He doesn't know how he can be tired after coming out of a coma but he can only assume he wasn't exactly resting peacefully the entire time. "Put Teddy in bed and come back?" he asks quietly. He always slept better snuggled in with Nigel and he smiles when he didn't even have to say it.

Nigel smiles and presses a soft kiss to Remus' temple. "Of course," he says brightly. He shifts Teddy and walks over to Charlotte. "Is it alright if I'm with him?" he asks quietly, silently pleading for her to agree.

He's barely slept the entire week, taking unofficial shifts with Harry, many times sitting with the young man and talking quietly, to watch over Remus' unconscious form. He'd crawled in beside Remus a time or two but it just wasn't the same when Remus' arms stayed limp and unable to wrap around him, keeping still so he didn't disrupt any of the medical devices.

"Oh, of course," Charlotte says, smiling softly. "He's completely fine." She waves a hand at the uncluttered bedside. All the machines and IV/potion stands are gone. "He's probably going to sleep a bit better, too, I'd imagine." She grins cheekily and chuckles when Nigel nods with a light blush. "Want me to take him?" she asks, indicating Teddy. "I don't mind."

Nigel shifts from foot to foot, unsure. "Alright," he finally agrees, only because he can crawl in beside Remus that much faster. He carefully transfers Teddy to the woman and smiles with gratitude. "And, if you could, give us a bit of privacy?" he asks quietly.

He doesn't really want to keep everyone out but Remus needs rest and he won't get it if the pack crowds the room. He feels a bit bad about keeping them out, quite happy they care about Remus as they do, but one look at Remus and his resolve firms again; the pack will be there and they'll understand.

"Of course," Charlotte says, gently shifting Teddy's head on her shoulder. "If they all come up, neither of you would be getting to sleep for hours," she chuckles and eases out of the room, aiming her wand at the door and nodding when she hears the lock click and the wards humming quietly. She nearly runs into Harry. "Oh! Sorry, Harry."

Harry waves her apology away, a bright smile on his tired face. "No problem. Are they alright?" he asks, leaning around the healer to peek at the closed door. Even from here he can feel the locking spell and privacy wards.

He'd told Jake about Remus being awake and he'd been surprised, but agreed, when he decided to leave the older werewolf alone until tomorrow. Both knew the minute he told the rest of the pack, they'd be here and checking up on the older man. It made his chest thump pleasantly with affection, grinning stupidly at the pack's acceptance of Remus, even as he nodded in understanding. A few hours won't really make that big a difference.

"Yes, just tired. I figured I'd give them some privacy to catch up on their sleep," Charlotte says, shifting Teddy slightly. She probably wouldn't have locked the door if she wasn't so sure they'd only sleep. Honestly, she could appreciate if the couple wanted some alone time but they both looked so tired and relieved she couldn't say no.

"How are you, by the way?" she asks, eyeing Harry closely. He's approaching his second trimester and she notices a tiny bulge under his shirt. Thankfully, her hands are full with Teddy or she'd probably be asking to rub the rounded bump. "I know we're not due an appointment for another week or so, but I'm curious."

Harry smiles and unconsciously rests a hand on his stomach. "Fine. I'm taking my vitamins like a good boy and Jake won't really let me do anything," he ends in a slight whine, glaring playfully when the healer laughs with an understanding nod. He's pregnant, not an invalid! He's argued quite a few times and always loses, Jake usually picking him up and kissing his breath away or worming a hand into his pants and making him forget what they'd been talking about. He'd be annoyed at the dirty tactics, but he isn't that stupid.

He grins. "I'm sure we'll have some party crashers again," he says quietly. "Draco can't seem to work up the courage to test himself and Joe wants to know." He chuckles. "Pretty much every day."

"Really?" Charlotte whispers. "Is that alright with you?" she asks after a moment of thought. Her mind just went into fan-girl territory again when she realized the other couple must be trying to have a baby. She can't stifle the giggle that bursts out, though. "I never took him to be that easily intimidated."

Harry nods with a grin. "I don't mind and yeah, Draco is generally a bit of a... coward," he says, quickly correcting his language when he sees Teddy stir.

"Which is his room?" she asks. Harry points to a door and she rolls her eyes. "Oops... Duh," she heads towards the one with the 'Teddy's Room' sign on it, obviously decorated by Teddy himself. She quickly transfigures his clothes into pajamas and settles him in his bed. She doesn't start when Harry is right next to her, a fond smile on his face as he tucks a stuffed kitten under one small, limp arm.

Harry bends and places a quick kiss on Teddy's forehead before he stands and quickly leaves the room, wiping surreptitiously at his eyes. Feelings of affection and relief overwhelmed him for a moment, smacking him across the face and tears sprung up before he even knew what happened.

He jumps a bit when he feels a hand on his shoulder and smiles wanly at a concerned looking Charlotte. "Sorry," he murmurs and closes Teddy's door softly. "Hormones," he says simply and shrugs.

He kind of hates the way he tears up at the drop of a hat recently but there isn't anything he can do about it. Luckily, Jake has finally gotten used to it and stopped panicking. Usually, Jake just ignored him until he got himself under control—learning that lesson when Harry snapped at him for babying him. Or Jake snuggled the breath out of him—learning _that_ lesson when Harry cried harder, convinced Jake didn't love him anymore.

He feels a bit bad that Jake never knows which reaction he wants until it's usually too late; he doesn't usually know until Jake approaches him, so he can't really give a warning. He snickers, remembering earlier that day; Jake had meshed the two methods. Quietly and gently holding him until Harry calmed and finally spoke. It'd be funny if it didn't make him want to cry again with frustration and wry amusement.

His smile widens when Charlotte nods understandingly. They slip out into the hall. "What are you doing for Christmas?" he asks. He almost wants to ask her to join them for the holidays but Jake thought he was really weird to ask. Maybe it is... but he likes the healer and considers her a friend now.

"I visit family. In Pennsylvania," Charlotte says and makes a face. "It should be fun." She rolls her eyes and grins. "Not that I don't love them, but I'll be going alone this year and I just can't wait for the commentary."

Harry grins a bit sheepishly, glad he hadn't extended an invitation. He likes Charlotte as a friend, as well as a healer. As far as he's concerned, she's both. She didn't have to go above her duties and make frequent visits to check on Remus. She's also helped Harry learn more about the American Wizarding communities.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your time with your family."

"Doubtful," Charlotte says with a grin and a shrug. "But it's what you gotta do." She laughs when Harry only shrugs and nods his head slowly, in reluctant agreement. She gently takes his arm and hooks it in her elbow, leading them downstairs and towards the front door. "I'm so glad Remus is doing so well. I'll leave him be until I stop in next week but don't hesitate to let me know if something comes up or he needs anything."

Harry nods, opening the front door since Charlotte didn't like apparating from inside the house unless she absolutely has to. "Alright," he says cheerfully and gives her a small, one-armed hug. "Thank you for helping him," he says sincerely.

He knows she's already lodged a few complaints with St. Mungo's, unsure if it'll help but grateful none the less, as well as with both the American Wizarding Bureau and British Wizarding Ministry. He doesn't know how effective it'll be but he's touched she's gone to the trouble. He'd be amused by her righteous anger if he didn't share it.

"Of course I would," Charlotte says seriously and gives Harry's hand a brief squeeze. "I'll let you know if I hear anything," she says, knowing Harry knew she was speaking of the many complaints she's filed. Even if Remus wasn't a close friend of Harry's, she was disgusted at the treatment he'd be given (or not given, more accurately) and won't feel better about the situation until she's done everything she could.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. I'll see you next week," she says and quickly heads towards her car, her footsteps light and sure in the snow.

Harry watches her go and a smiles when he notices the snow. Teddy will love waking up tomorrow and seeing snow. He closes the door and rests against it briefly, thinking. Giving his head a brisk shake, he heads into the living room and flops onto the sofa next to Jake, sliding down until his head is in Jake's lap, his eyes closing the moment he feels a hand slide through his hair in soothing motions.

He can't quite suppress a giggle when Jake's other hand rests warmly on his stomach, now used to—and completely smitten by—Jake's near obsession with touching him there. He wonders how much of a freak out Jake will have when he finally feels movement. He hums happily when warm lips trail down his forehead and nose to land gently on his lips.

"Everything okay?" Jake asks quietly, leaning over Harry and watching his relaxed face. He smiles with relief, enjoying the truly relaxed expression. Harry's been very worried about Remus. He's glad the older man is awake for lots of reasons, but mostly because the stress would eventually effect the baby. He feels a little selfish about it, but Harry is his first priority, after all.

Harry nods slowly. "Mmhmm. Everything is great," he murmurs. "Teddy's in bed."

"Alright," Jake says, leaning back against the sofa again, closes his eyes and rests his head back on the cushions, and just lets his hands wander Harry's head and belly. He got into the habit when trying to sooth Harry but it's stuck. A feeling of contentment has him relaxing even more. "Did he get to see Remus?"

"Yeah, he ran in and jumped all over him," Harry says with a small smile. "Remus looked thrilled. He's doing great, by the way. Just tired. Him and Nigel locked themselves in," he chuckles.

Jake hums in agreement. "Can't say I blame them. I'd be glued to your side if it were us," he says quietly. His feeling of contentment lessens as he realizes how possible it could be. He opens his eyes and looks down when he feels Harry's hand laying on the one he's got splayed over his belly.

"I know," Harry says quietly, looking up at Jake warmly. He sighs and closes his eyes again, content and warm.

~oOo~

Jake opens the door and rolls his eyes playfully but makes a 'come in' gesture to the couple on the other side of the door. "I shoulda figured it was you two. Who else has the balls to interrupt Harry's appointments?" he asks, smiling widely.

He's actually surprised no one else has tried to come in before; they just wait in the hall, acting like they didn't have their ears pressed to the door.

"Shut up," Joe says with a chuckle. He pauses and worries his lip, unease worming through him. "Unless you mind..." he trails off, looking at Jake with an expression of abashment and doubt.

He really didn't think the other couple minded and now he feels like an ass for just barging in and assuming it's cool. Draco is still being a complete wuss about checking himself. He understands, really he does, but at the moment he's a bit annoyed at his cowardly husband. Especially if it's going to put a strain between him and Jake. He's truly unsure if he can go against his Alpha, even for his Draco.

Thankfully, Harry answers before Jake can, the smirk on Jake's face a clear sign it would have been a bit mean. "Yeah, 'course it's alright," Harry says and sits up, lowering his shirt.

He rolls his eyes when Jake pouts and pats the chaise next to him, grinning when Jake immediately rushes over and sits next to him, crowding him unnecessarily on the roomy seat. "Be nice," he whispers, running a hand down Jake's chest. "They're really nervous."

He knows Jake isn't actually upset, only enjoying a brief moment of prankish fun. He's not upset; he had a great check-up. Jake is still grinning and puffed with pride. He absently fingers the sonogram-charm print outs. The image still eludes him but he can sort of make out a vague baby-like shape and the obvious details. Even so, it doesn't at all reduce the pride and absolutely happiness he gets when he looks at them. He can't wait to show everyone...

"I know, but it's fun to tease him," Jake says quietly, gaze flicking between the other couple getting Charlotte's attention and Harry. He grins at Harry and picks his husband up and plops him in his lap. He snickers when he gets a glare. "What? I'm more comfy, right?"

Harry grumbles but doesn't answer. Jake _is_ more comfortable. Warmer, too. Like a thick quilt or a strong heating charm. He settles in against Jake's chest, trying not to purr when Jake's hands go to their usual spots; his hair and his belly. He's a bit more pronounced now and Jake can't keep his hands to himself. Not that he hates it; it's indescribable what Jake's attention does to him.

He sighs happily and closes his eyes, enjoying the soothing motions of Jake's hands, warmth soaking into his body from Jake. He hums softly and rests his hand against the large, warm one on his stomach.

"Holy shit," Jake whispers, watching as Charlotte does her usual routine of spells on Draco. He tries not to gape, too much, when Draco's face splits into the widest, happiest grin he's ever seen and Joe faints.

He's never seen someone actually faint before and he finds it rather undramatic—Joe's eyes rolled up into his head and he tipped over like a felled tree, landing in a heap on the floor. He nearly chuckles when it takes a few moments for Draco to realize Joe is no longer upright and conscious; a soft gasp his response before gracefully sliding off his chair next to Joe's unconscious body.

Harry doesn't open his eyes as he murmurs "What?". He feels Jake's chin land with a bit of force against the top of his head and opens his eyes, tilting his head a bit to look up. "What?" he repeats.

"What does purple mean?" Jake asks quietly, looking at Draco slapping Joe's cheeks as he cries. He looks happy, ecstatic even, as his slaps get a bit harder. He'd get up to help but he doesn't want to upset Harry and there is a healer right there.

Harry sits upright, gasping. "Purple! Holy shit! Draco!" He scrambles from Jake's lap, grateful Jake's hands are relaxed in his shock so he can get up easily. He rushes over to his still kneeling friend, yanks Draco into a standing position and wraps him in a tight hug that has the poor wizard squeaking and wheezing. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" he rants, uncaring he sounds like Seth at the moment in his shocked delight.

He quickly lets go, irrationally sure he's squished something vital. "Sorry! But—Wow! Oh my god! Congrats!" he says in a choked whisper, wiping his own tears off of his face. He'd laugh at them being such emotional wrecks but thankfully no one is calling them out on their behavior. Yet.

"Is purple... good?" Jake asks, bending down a bit to whisper in Harry's ear. He gets twin _duh_ looks from the wizards and rolls his eyes. He doesn't know, now does he. He wasn't there for that part. "Oh!" he says, realization dawning. "So... does that mean you're... Uh..." he trails off and points lamely at Draco's midsection. "You know." He looks at Harry's slightly rounded belly and Draco's midsection again.

Draco nods, trying to wriggle out of Harry's tight grip again. "Yes," he says tightly and wipes his face with a hastily conjured handkerchief. It's a bit embarrassing to be caught crying but Jake nor Harry seem to be rude enough to point it out. Jake, surely, is used to seeing such things by now.

He looks down and huffs, gently toeing Joe in the side. "Bastard passed out!" he says looking up with amusement, his silvery eyes nearly glowing with happiness and humor. "I can't believe it. What a git!"

"Well, it's shocking news to get," Jake says, watching Joe closely. He's speaking from personal experience, of course, and both wizards nod reluctantly. Naturally, he's aware that Joe was looking forward to hearing such news so he's quite amused that his friend fainted. It's not like he's the first guy to do so when told they're going to be a father. "He's coming to," he announces quietly when he sees Joe's eyes fluttering before they spring open and he sits bolt upright, looking around wildly.

Draco kneels next to Joe, trying not to unleash unmanly giggles at his wide-eyed husband. "Welcome back," he whispers and runs a hand behind Joe's head, feeling for bumps. Thankfully there aren't any, or Joe's still too stunned to react. "Are you going to faint _every_ time this happens?"

"No," Joe says, cheeks hot and giving Draco a sheepish smile. At least... he hopes not. He'd like to never do that again. A huge smile breaks on his face at the way Draco said 'every', like this won't be the first and only time. He doesn't comment on it, though. "I've never done that before. In my entire life. Holy... fuck... I wasn't hallucinating? You're..." He gulps and stares at Draco's stomach with wonder, his fingers twitching with the urge to touch.

Draco rolls his eyes and nods with a short huff. "Pregnant. Yes. _Merlin_ , why can't you men say the bloody word?" he says, looking at the three others with a smirk. He huffs out another breath when he's hugged fiercely.

"So... happy faint?" he whispers, hoping only Joe can hear him.

Or at least only Joe can hear the slight tremor of insecurity and doubt he can't shake. Rationally, he knows they've discussed it and it shouldn't be such a shock. But reality can slap you hard sometimes. He felt faint too when he saw the mist go purple but he didn't actually pass the hell out. He hopes it was just the shock and not anything... bad. He keeps his face buried in Joe's neck, not quite ready to face him yet.

"Yes, fuck yes," Joe whispers back, pulling away for a moment to cradle Draco's face with his hands. "I said so, didn't I?" he asks softly, sweeping his thumbs along high cheekbones in soft caresses.

Draco looks up at Harry and Jake, smiling thankfully when both start and give guilty smiles before leaving the room. He'd ask Charlotte for some privacy as well but he isn't quite done yet, so he endures. "You did but... well, it's one thing to talk about and a whole other when it's real."

"True, I didn't think I'd be this happy," Joe concedes with a grin. He gently kisses Draco before pulling him against his chest, barely resisting the urge to squeeze as tight as he can. "Best Christmas gift. Ever," he breathes, his voice low and a bit choked. He rests his lips against Draco's temple and smiles.

He doesn't want to ask if he's awake so he just contents himself that he's not dreaming and holds Draco until Charlotte clears her throat.

Charlotte tries not to coo or act unprofessional but it's a bit hard, seeing the couple snuggling on the floor in their bliss. After Draco had waved her away with a startled hiss when Joe fainted, she's stayed in the background, observing. She didn't suppress a quiet giggle when Draco spazzed a bit, completely forgetting a _Rennervate_ would've probably worked wonders.

"I'm nearly done. Only a few more tests and then you boys can head off," she says and offers Draco a hand up. She grunts with effort when she can't budge the man, looking down with mock indignation at Joe when he doesn't let go of her patient. "I need him for this," she says.

"Oh. Right." Joe says, trying not to blush and stands with his husband still clutched to his chest. He finally lets go, but hovers closely when Draco sits in front of the healer again. "What are you doing?" he asks as Charlotte waves her wand around again.

He doesn't see any lights or mists but Charlotte's magically charmed quill is writing away on the table next to her. He tightens his fists, unsure how Jake was able to stand having the healer near his pregnant husband. He doesn't know what the woman is doing and it's making him uneasy, his wolf instincts trying to kick in to protection mode. The thought of someone doing _any_ sort of magic on his husband and child makes him twitch.

He has to restrain himself from grabbing Draco and running away. Charlotte is trusted and knowledgeable. He repeats this like a mantra in his head while he tensely watches her wand move and poke the area around Draco gently.

Charlotte ignores the very tense werewolf as best she can, having a bit of practice with Jacob, and beams a smile at Draco. "All is well. You're very healthy. Only about a week along, as far as I can tell," she says, checking her notes. "Due date, approximately, will be around September sixth."

"Everything is fine? Aren't you sure?" Joe asks, a soft growl in his voice. He doesn't flinch when Draco glares at him. He's allowed to be concerned and he won't apologize.

Charlotte fights the urge to lasugh and nods. "I'm quite sure but this early in the pregnancy— he's fine!" she quickly says when Joe's eyes widen with concern and probably a bit of fear. "I'm just saying, with _any_ pregnancy, the beginning is—" She stops and sighs. Joe isn't going to be at all soothed unless she tells him what he wants to hear. "He's doing fine." Even with magical pregnancies, she's never comfortable giving absolute answers until the first month has passed; for men especially, it seems to be the crucial time for problems to arise or not.

"Alright," Joe says warily, watching the healer closely. He knows when he's being placated and he doesn't like it. He makes a mental note to check the books Jake and Harry have. He gives Draco an apologetic smile and makes a 'keeping quiet' motion over his lips; miming a zipper being pulled closed.

He doesn't speak again but he watches closely when Charlotte hands over several small vials to his husband. His eyes narrow and he looks at Draco.

Draco rolls his eyes but is pleased nonetheless. Joe is being completely mental and he's actually enjoying it, probably a bit more than he should. "Potions, love. This," He holds up a vial with an iridescent soft blue liquid sloshing around, "pre-natal vitamins, of a sort. And this," He holds up a mottled grey colored one that looks... nasty, "is for nausea." He wrinkles his nose and nearly sighs with frustration. Why does the anti-nausea potion look like it would _cause_ him to vomit? Ugh.

He hands the vials over to Joe, sure he wants to inspect them—not that his husband has any idea what to look or smell for. He grins when Joe holds them away from his nose with a quickly indrawn breath and a moue of disgust on his face.

"I have to drink those, so keep the commentary to yourself."

"Right," Joe says, trying not to wrinkle his nose as well. Or chuck the fowl smelling things away. "I have a dumb question." He waits until Charlotte and Draco are both looking at him. "Can't he take uh, Muggle stuff? Pepto and chewable pre-natal vitamins aren't nearly that nasty," he says and points to the vials full of sludge with a look of clear disgust on his face.

He blinks when they both only gape at him. He'd probably be amused they both managed to gape with dignity, though, if he wasn't so unsettled. "What? No good?"

Charlotte smiles sheepishly and puts her wand and quill away, tucking the folder into her bag as well. "Well, if you'd like to try those remedies, it won't hurt you or the baby." She doesn't want to admit the idea never occurred to her. She's been treating only wizarding folk and never considered the alternatives.

Muggle medicine did seem to have some advantages over potions at times, especially in the taste department. Adding sugar to a Muggle medicine didn't interact with the active ingredients like it could with nearly all potions.

"But will they _work_?" Joe asks, looking mostly at Draco. He really doesn't know if wizards can use Muggle drugs and he's curious. Pink goop has to taste better than the grey sludge. He doesn't know how the bluish one will taste, but anything has to be better than something that smelled like a dead skunk and smelly socks. He suppresses a gag and shudders.

Charlotte pauses before sighing and giving an honest answer. "Mostly likely, but I've never thought to recommend Muggle medicine."

"Then how do you know it's safe?" Joe asks quietly, trying to keep the growl from his voice. He tightens his hands and nearly drops the vials so they don't break in his hands. He's not so worried about the glass cutting him as having that _stink_ on him.

"I know because Muggles have made many, many medical advancements over the years and everything is marked whether it's safe or not for pregnant patients to use."

Joe growls. "I mean for _him_. Safe for Draco, my pregnant husband. He's a wizard, do you know what sort of effect it'll have?"

"Personally? No. But I know of many people in the wizarding community to use Muggle medicine with no ill effects. Though, like Muggles, not all wizards can use the drugs with any success. Our magic doesn't interfere with Muggle drugs and remedies. I'm only embarrassed I hadn't thought of it before. It's perfectly safe," Charlotte says sincerely.

She watches as Joe relaxes and breathes out with relief. She doesn't really expect the man to be violent towards her, and she could understand his protective instincts, but she can't help being a bit wary. She's never seen the man be anything but laid back so this side of him is very interesting to witness.

"I assure it, it's safe to try."

Joe nods, ignoring Draco's scowl. "Fine. Thank you." He shoves the vials in his pockets, hopefully to be dumped out later. He watches as Draco leads Charlotte from the room and flops into a chair. He feels a bit faint again, the knowledge that he'll be a father nearly stealing his breath again. He'd had hopes... but he never expected to be getting this kind of news so soon. Sure, there's a bit of fear and apprehension but otherwise he's ecstatic.

He grins when his wolf growls softly in a near purr with agreement, just as satisfied at the news of a pup. He tries not to flinch when Draco stalks back in the room and glares at him with those heated silvery eyes of his. Usually, the look does wicked things to his body. Now, though, he wants to shrink into the chair. Or run away.

"What in the bloody hell was all _that_?" Draco demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

Joe doesn't look away, as much as he might want to. Draco can be a bit intimidating when he gets pissed. He nearly moans when he feels Draco's magic crackle around him; it's not exactly pleasurable.

"I was concerned." Draco scoffs and he glares. "I can't exactly ignore my instincts, love. I won't. I hate that you have to swallow that shit," he says and wiggles one of the vials at Draco, the mottled grey goop coating the glass.

His stomach rolls queasily when it gloops around the glass container. "I know it's what you guys _do_ , but I can't wrap my head around the fact that it's actually good for you. At all. Nothing that nasty can be good for someone. And, it was annoying when the damn healer looked surprised at my suggestion. Some healer..." he mutters softly. "Are you telling me you _want_ to down that crap?"

"No," Draco says and breathes out the tension and anger.

He knows Joe can't help his instincts; it's one of the things he adores about the man. His instincts coddle, love and cherish him. He adores that. He really should have expected it to be a bit... stronger now that he's expecting. He's already noted how Alpha Jake gets with Harry.

Plus, Joe has a point; potions _are_ nasty. He's hated taking them since he was a child. Brewing them is an exciting challenge but that's generally where his interest ends. "I don't _want_ to swallow that shit. But I'm used to it, love. I've always taken potions."

Joe huffs and slides the vial back in his pocket, unable to look at it anymore. "Fine. I was just trying to help."

"I know," Draco says as he slowly crawls onto Joe's lap, straddling him, and kisses him softly. "I'll give that Popko a try, alright? If Muggle things don't work, no complaints when I guzzle that nasty concoction down." He barely holds in a grimace, knowing he won't be able to avoid the anti-nausea potion for long.

Honestly, he hates the idea of having to swallow it as much as Joe does, but he is quite used to drinking nasty potions. They weren't made to taste good, just work.

Joe grins, happy with the compromise but mostly happy Draco didn't immediately snob off Muggle things. "Pepto," he corrects with a wink. "And deal." He can probably handle seeing Draco drink that shit and if he couldn't, well... he'll just leave the room.

~oOo~

Christmas was wonderful. The big house was full of people and noise and love again and Harry spent most of the holiday smiling so hard his face hurt when he went to bed.

Luna and Hermione had come back just in time to open presents Christmas morning. Harry didn't complain when they left a week before to (hopefully) find Luna's father and spend some time with the man. He'd secreted himself in some unmapped jungle searching for... something and refused to leave before his allotted time of 3 years was up.

Harry nearly strangled both witches when they came back wearing bonding tattoos on their left ring fingers.

"Holy shit!" Harry yelled and grabbed Luna and Hermione's left hands. He looked between the twin matching bands before looking up at the two witches. The tattoos were delicate and feminine, quite beautiful with ornate swirls and multiple runes. "You... you snuck off to get married?" he asked, his eyes tearing up.

He'd really wanted to be there. He had hoped they would have wanted him to be there, too. He couldn't believe they didn't want to share their day with him—with anyone else. His chest hitched as he tried to suppress the tears but it only made it worse and he choked a bit. He flapped a hand in front of his face.

Luna and Hermione had shared a look before enveloping a now freely crying Harry in a small group hug.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry! It was completely one of those spur-of-the-moment things," Hermione said, pulling back a bit and wiping Harry's face with a conjured tissue.

They'd talked about it before and the chance literally fell into their laps when they visited Xenophilius and there was a wizarding officiate in the village. "Luna wanted her father there. She even gave me a _look_ , Harry," she said, her tone pleading and begging for understanding. "Look number twenty-three to be exact," she said with a fond, exasperated huff as she briefly glanced at Luna with heated affection.

"Look twenty-three?" Harry asked and sniffed wetly.

As much at it sucked they'd snuck away, he could understand being unable to refuse one's beloved. And the desire to have one's parent there. He couldn't stay mad or upset about it. He loved them like sisters, he couldn't begrudge them happiness for anything. He quietly sighed with resignation, still looking intently at Hermione for an answer. He nearly giggled when she blushed and started to shift nervously, apparently very reluctant to share now.

Hermione flushed but nodded. Her and her big, stupid, mouth. "It's, erm, well a bit pleading, a bit dazed and... well... lusty," she explained awkwardly.

She first admitted to numbering the many, varied looks Luna had and then she had to describe it. Harry wouldn't drop it, she could tell by the look on his face. If she were so inclined to continue the habit, it would be Harry Look number 14.

"Oh," Harry said giggling before clearing his throat and continuing in a chuckle. Merlin, he hated giggling. "I know what _that_ look looks like," he said nodding. "I haven't thought to number them. I just call it Jake's Do-It-And-Get-A-Mind-Melting-Blowjob Look."

Hermione flushed darker while Luna giggled. "Harry!" Hermione chided, trying not to let her gaze wander towards Jake across the room. "A bit more information than I ever wanted."

"You started it," Harry said lightly, still amused. "Anyway, look number twenty-three aside, how dare you sneak off and get married without anyone else there!"

Hermione sighed and nodded. It was true, she'd been sad to get bonded without Harry or even Draco there. "We can do an informal one? Renew our vows or something and invite everyone?"

"No," Harry said sadly, sighing softly. "You're already married, it's not the same. But as soon as we can plan something obnoxious, you'll have a proper reception." He grins, already planning on calling Alice and Rosalie over the second Hermione gives any sort of positive answer.

Hermione gulped and Luna giggled. "Alright," they both agreed.

Harry grins, sipping his sparkling cider and watching Luna and Alice giggle madly in the corner, Hermione looking a bit overwhelmed as she tries to listen to both Esme and Rosalie, the two female vampires talking a mile a minute, nearly overlapping each other.

"What's so funny?" Jake asks, settling next to Harry on the sofa.

Harry takes a finger off his glass and points towards the group of women. "That." Jake turns and looks, his face pinching awkwardly as he tries not to laugh. "Exactly," he says and grins.

"So, how it everyone doing?" Harry asks. He hasn't been a good host, making the rounds and seeing to everyone, but no one called him on it. He puts his feet in Jake's lap and hums with relief and pleasure when Jake's hands immediately start to massage and squeeze gently.

"Half are stupid drunk but everyone is happy," Jake says, chuckling. "It's our first New Year's Eve together, so naturally it's a good time."

He looks around the room and smiles. Everyone is here, since most of them didn't go back to their own homes after spending Christmas with them. He laughs when he catches sight of Seth trying to discretely fondle Gloria, leading her away from Greg with numerous furtive glances. Even he could see Greg isn't concerned with Gloria being in Seth's company.

"I wonder who's going to be next," he muses, looking between Seth and Gloria, now sneaking into the kitchen, and Leah and Neville, the couple sitting across the room and laughing about something Draco or Joe said.

Harry stretches and finishes his drink, setting the glass on the floor by the sofa. "Next for what?"

"To get married."

Harry sits up and grins. "I dunno. Since those _witches_ snuck off, it could be any of them." He looks around. "I bet it'll be Remus and Nigel. That scare really shook 'em up, I bet they'll be motivated to make things official." He nods his head towards the couple, trying not to coo or making kissy noises like a 12-year-old at the snuggling couple.

"Especially since he won't get any shit for being a werewolf," Jake says lowly, but he's nodding. He forgot about the older couple. Teddy has asked a few times already when they'd get married. And for a sister. The look on the older men's faces nearly had him wetting himself.

He sits back on the sofa, his hands working up Harry's ankles to his calves. "But we won't interfere, right?" he says, looking at Harry with his eyebrows up, trying to make his face and voice stern. It's rather hard, though; Harry is adorable and he can't honestly refuse him a thing.

Harry grumbles and looks away. "Yeah," he mutters. He knows he shouldn't intrude into other peoples business but he only wants them to be happy. He sighs and snuggles in against Jake again, stealing glances at the clock.

In about 15 minutes a new year will start and he's looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Hahahaha! I done went and knocked up Draco, too. Heh. I regret nothing._


	20. Chapter 20

Joe sighs softly with relief when he finds Draco napping on their bed. He'd been a bit put out not to have been greeted by his affectionate husband the moment he'd gotten home. Not that he _expects_ it; but it has gotten to be a very nice routine nonetheless.

He had playfully mocked Draco the first time; his teasing comment of Draco acting like a 50s housewife wasn't fully understood (Draco scowling only at the 'wife' reference) but thankfully it didn't stop Draco from the practice. Most times the affectionate kiss 'hello' turned into a wild romp when his husband's hormones took over.

He silently makes his way over to the bed, pausing for a moment when he's practically frozen by an overwhelming wave of love, affection and protective pride as his gaze rests on his peacefully sleeping husband, a pale hand resting on his slightly rounded belly. He idly wonders if Jake gets the same reaction and eases onto the bed, sliding in behind Draco.

He frowns slightly when his presence doesn't disturb Draco in the slightest. Draco isn't normally a light sleeper, but rolls onto him more often than not.

Nuzzling his nose through pale hair to make contact with warm skin, he inhales the familiar, warm scent and sighs happily, laying his hand over the one Draco has limply resting on his belly.

"Draco," he whispers, peppering light kisses against the back of a pale neck. He doesn't really want to wake his husband, surprise surprise he often wakes cranky, but dinner will be ready any minute and he'd be in more trouble if Draco missed it. "Draco," he whispers again, gently nudging.

"Wha?" Draco mumbles in a sleep-fuzzy voice, eyes still closed. He turns slowly, still not opening his eyes, and wraps sleep-warm limbs around the solid body pressed against him. He inhales deeply and hums with contentment, waking a bit more with the realization that Joe is home. He nearly pouts; he missed pouncing on his husband as he walked in the door.

A wicked smirk grows on his face and he nuzzles into Joe's chest. "Jake, Joe'll be home any minute."

Joe stills for all of two seconds before laughing so hard his stomach aches and tears are in his eyes. "Funny," he finally says, playfully tugging a handful of pale hair.

"Yes, _I_ thought so," Draco says, voice full of amusement, and opens his eyes. "Hello, handsome," he purrs, dipping his head enough to nip at Joe's collarbone. He runs his hands over Joe's chest, humming with appreciation as he palms the firm warmth. Merlin, just the brief fondle has him nearly drooling. He runs his hands along Joe's chest again, murmuring words of appreciation under his breath that even Joe probably can't hear.

Joe groans softly, grabbing Draco's hands gently to still the arousing movement. "Dinner is in five minutes, love," he says quietly.

Honestly, he'd rather continue but he refuses to be blamed later for Draco's grumbling stomach. Sure, he can eat whenever he wants but he likes the family gathering together and enjoying the loud dinner-time fun. He doesn't really want to miss it, so he tries to calm his body's natural, easy response to Draco's mere presence.

"So?" Draco pouts before wiggling his hands free and quickly shoving one down Joe's pants, lazily moving his hand in slow, teasing strokes. "They'll wait," he murmurs, placing a few kisses along Joe's chest.

Joe grunts when Draco's moves quickly go from lazy to purposeful, dextrous fingers wrapping around him with perfect pressure. "No, they won't," he says, choking out a chuckle. "And there is no way we're getting _any_ thing done in five minutes," he rasps out, twitching when Draco's grip tightens just so, a sneaky thumb pressing just the right spot that makeshim muffle a moan.

"Dammit," Draco mutters, reluctantly pulling his hand free. He looks up and gives Joe a pout. "Why didn't you come up sooner?"

Joe laughs, trying to ignore the raging hard-on curtsey of his horny husband, and pulls Draco tight against him. "It took me awhile to find you."

There aren't really many places Draco could've been but his search had taken longer than he liked and he calls himself an idiot for not checking their bedroom first. Really, where else would Draco have been? He rarely fell asleep in odd places like Harry, refusing to be without the comfort of their ridiculously large, comfortable bed. He smiles, smitten with his husband's snobby ways.

"Oh."

Joe just hums, softly stroking down Draco's back, focusing on his lower back for a long moment. Draco's moan of relief, tinged ever-so-slightly with pleasure nearly has him agreeing with just making everyone wait or start without them. "Right there?" he asks, prodding and working the area with his fingertips. He feels a nod against his chest and keeps working his fingers into the tightened muscles.

He knows the aching muscles will only get worse as the pregnancy progresses, but he really doesn't mind the massages. It's win-win in his opinion; Draco gets relief and he gets the sexy sounds and usually a very turned-on husband.

"How's that?" Joe asks after a few minutes of massaging. Thankfully, he's no longer ready to burst out of his pants and instead is just feeling content, warm and thoroughly smitten.

"Perfect," Draco sighs. He reluctantly disengages himself from Joe's magic hands and sits up when the urge to pee is too much to ignore anymore. He carefully slides off of the bed. "I'll be down in a moment," he says and disappears into the bathroom.

He absently notes Joe leaving but he's mostly focused on the mess that is his hair as soon as he sees himself in the large mirror. Ugh. Napping is nice but it ruins his hair. He'd be annoyed Joe didn't point it out but his husband is admittedly unbothered by his hair in less-than-impeccable condition.

He takes a moment to admire his rounded bump and pats it affectionately. He is just about at three months and Charlotte assured him it isn't abnormal to 'show' so soon, assuaging his fear of either a too-big baby or—Merlin help him—twins. It was common in male pregnancies, especially with his slim build. Harry had been the same and now he's practically waddling around like a duck, much to his amusement (and Harry's disgruntled annoyance).

He smiles as he runs his hand over the swell. He'd thought it kinda weird to see Jake coo and go all gooey over Harry's belly but with Joe doing the same thing, he understands it now. Plus, he enjoys the attention, even if he did occasionally roll his eyes or squirm away whenever Joe can help himself around other people. He doesn't even mind the annoyingly sweet coos he'd invariable get from every female present.

He hums as he makes his way to the dining room, grinning broadly when he sees the full table. He greets everyone as he hurries to his seat between Harry and Joe, waving cheerfully and making a rather adorable cooing sound at an already messy Natalie and Teddy.

"Harry, pass that bowl," he instructs, pointing to a steaming bowl of what he hopes are mashed potatoes. He inhales with a soft moan, confirming it is mashed potatoes, when he gets it and scoops a small mountain onto his plate.

He glares when Harry chuckles. "Shut up, Potter. You really aren't one to talk," he says, eyeing the obscene amount of fried chicken on his plate and very unwilling to even guess what the green sauce smothering each piece might be. He wrinkles his nose and proceeds to fit other bits of food around his mound of potatoes.

"I wasn't making fun," Harry says, snickering. He doesn't bother correcting Draco anymore, the git still calls him 'Potter' whenever he's annoyed with him. Jake even stopped bothering, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up when Draco went into a right snit the last time. "And besides, Esme made an entire bowl just for you," he says, laughing when Draco's eyes widen and he wraps an arm around the bowl in a possessive, protective manner and pulls it closer. He rolls his eyes when Draco monopolizes the gravy as well. Spoiled prat.

Draco ignores Harry, lifting his chin with a sniff and focusing on eating. He doesn't feel at all bad for indulging himself. He's eating for two, after all. "So, Hermione said she's having problems altering your clothes," he says, mostly to make conversation.

He'd been thrilled when Hermione offered to help him let a few of his pants out, refusing to wear anything 'stretchy' until he absolutely has to. The very idea of some synthetic blend of fabric against his skin makes him shudder, earning a knowing smirk from Joe. He sniffs again but accepts the warm hand that slides onto his leg.

"Yeah," Harry says morosely. "I have to go shopping."

Draco nods, looking forward to any excuse to go shopping. Not that he's going to go, he's already got plans with Rosalie and he really doesn't look forward to disappointing her. Plus, he doesn't exactly look forward to dragging a pitifully depressed Harry around stores. Ugh, he sucks all the fun out of shopping.

He blinks a few times when he hears a sniffle. Oh Merlin... "Sorry," he mumbles, realizing he's hit upon a sensitive issue. Shopping and the evidence of his growing size apparently aren't at all happy thoughts for Harry. Even when done unknowingly, he always feels bad for making Harry cry and he loathes it all the more because more often than not, his own eyes prickled and he joined in.

"Stop it," he hisses quietly, smiling nonetheless when watery green eyes dart up to look at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Harry says, wiping at his face. "I can't help it, you tosser." He glares back. He turns sharply when he hears a snorted laugh. "Shut up!" he says, slapping at Jake.

Jake holds up his hands and hurriedly goes back to eating, no way is he letting Harry's irritation go full out on him.

He glares when Seth goes to say something and shakes his head sharply. Thankfully Seth takes the hint and asks about cars, making Harry turn away with a huff to finish yelling at Draco. "Thanks," he whispers gratefully to Seth, stomping the urge to stick his tongue out childishly when Seth snickers.

He smirks, fully wishing Seth the wrath of a pregnant mate on him. He won't find it so funny then. Gloria is a very nice woman, but he doesn't think that'll keep her from going on full-out hormone rages like his normally sweet, even tempered Harry.

He didn't get stuck on the sofa or anything like that, but he still hates to annoy Harry. He can barely keep up with the ever-changing tirades Harry goes on when that happens. It's dizzying to try to track the anger, irritation and sadness before it swiftly rolls into bouts of tears and sobs for forgiveness and understanding.

Jake keeps an ear on Harry and Draco's conversation, though, panic and apprehension worming through him at the thought of Harry going out. Anywhere. He knows trying to forbid it or disagree in any way will probably be met with glares and protests but he still twitches nervously.

"Can you go on Saturday instead?" he asks suddenly, startling the pregnant wizards, nearly making them knock their heads together when they both jump. He quickly chokes off a laugh when they turn to gape at him with adorably wide eyes, not wanting—and admittedly a bit scared—to irritate _both_ of them with a laugh.

"Nah," Harry says, shrugging lightly. "Stores are packed and I'd rather avoid that."

Jake nods, worrying his bottom lip. It makes sense but he's still unnerved. "Someone going with you?" he asks slowly, preparing for a tantrum or a scowl.

He blinks when Harry smiles and makes a sound that suspiciously sounds like a coo and leans forward to hug his arm, kissing his shoulder affectionately. He doesn't know whether or not to be suspicious of the reaction and glares when Joe snorts at him. Asshole; he's just as unbalanced around his pregnant husband, too.

"Of course. Hermione and Luna, and I guess whoever else is free to come, too," Harry says, rubbing a hand comfortingly up and down Jake's arm. He felt panic at the thought of going alone so he can only imagine what Jake is feeling; Jake has made no secret of the growing Alpha Werewolf tendencies getting more apparent, often reacting quickly with fierce protectiveness.

It should probably worry him but it only made him feel warm and fuzzy inside, thoroughly enjoying being protected and cherished.

Jake hums in thought. He'd rather take a day off himself and go with Harry, a day won't really hurt anything, but he knows it'll probably be seen as overbearing or some sort of over-reaction, even if Harry's already aware going alone isn't a great idea. He's relieved he doesn't have to worry about Harry out and about alone.

He nearly rolls his eyes; Harry isn't delicate but knowing that still doesn't sooth the instinct to make sure he's protected and kept safe. "I'll see if Seth is willing to take a day off. Maybe Leah?" he offers.

He knows Hermione and Luna are quite capable, not to mention rather protective of his Harry as well, and it's probably more than a little sexist to want a guy along but he can't help still feel nervous if Harry isn't going to be with a pack member.

"Alright," Harry says, smiling.

He wants to ask Jake to take a day off and go with him but he doesn't want to sound _that_ needy. He'll feel more comfortable with a pack member with him but he won't sulk if they can't go. It is rather short notice, even if Seth did work for Jake, but putting it off too long would leave him embarrassingly under dressed.

Harry pats Jake's arm again before turning back to Draco. Their conversation quickly goes towards pregnancy symptoms and Jake hurriedly refocuses on Seth, not wanting to know any more about Joe and Draco's sex life than he already does when they start talking about hormones and all that jazz.

Jake wants to glare with embarrassment when Harry just laughs and agrees to something he's pretty sure included the words 'tongue' and 'arse', grumbling under his breath when Joe gives him an amused look. Ugh...

~oOo~

Harry wakes up slowly, smiling to himself when he feels Jake gripping him tightly and lightly humping against him. His back is against Jake's font, their legs a tangled mess that enables him to somehow have his slightly chilled toes in the creases of Jake's knees.

He holds in a laugh, wondering if Jake's awake or not. Once again, he finds himself ever so thankful of their habit of sleeping naked. It wouldn't be the first time Jake's done that, even while still deeply asleep. He's woken up countless times doing the same thing, writhing and rutting against Jake like a horny crup, so it's not like he can make fun.

He suppresses another chuckle, at his own expense this time, and whispers "Jake?"

"Hmm?" Jake hums sleepily, awake enough to kiss Harry's shoulder a few times and still his movements for a moment.

Harry wiggles against Jake. "Just wonderin' if you're awake."

"Kinda," Jake mumbles. He runs a hand down Harry's chest, down over his belly, his palm stopping to rest hotly against Harry's crotch. He smiles lazily when he feels a growing hardness and shifts his hips sharply. "I have awhile before I need to get ready," he says softly, nosing the back of Harry's neck and kissing the sleep-warm skin, not-so-subtly hinting for further action.

He hums happily and brings Harry closer when he feels an interested twitch against his palm, nipping at an earlobe.

Harry groans softly, torn. He's definitely willing but he doesn't know when Hermione is going to be knocking and bugging him to get going. He quickly decides the witch can wait when Jake's erection settles ever-so-perfectly against his bare arse.

"Yeah, but like this," he breathes out, only slightly annoyed his belly now restricts most positions, moving just enough to reach for the half-empty bottle of lube and tosses it behind him at Jake.

He quickly settles back against Jake, shifting enough to give Jake better access and groans quietly when he feels a very eager finger brush against him before sliding in easily. He wonders if he should feel like an insatiable tart when Jake doesn't have to work much to get him prepared, still relaxed from the night before. He bites his lip on a loud moan, knowing there isn't a privacy spell up, and clutches his pillow when Jake enters him in a slow, easy slide.

He turns his head enough to kiss Jake, moaning into his mouth and pleased it muffles him nicely. He moans quietly when one of Jake's hands settle behind his knee, moving and shifting him with intimate knowledge for the best position, their weight pinning them both to the bed and holding them with little effort. Jake's other hand slowly wanders his body, brushing along his hip, up his chest to palm and flick his pebbled nipples briefly.

He presses into the hot hand sliding down his belly to warp around his erection, stroking in languid caresses that makes him arch and pant, pleasure sizzling through him with each unhurried thrust. He buries his face in his pillow, trying to muffle the stream of moans and muttered words of encouragement and endearments.

Jake pants softly against Harry's neck, pressing his lips against the damp skin in a kiss and hoping to muffle himself a bit as well, nearly forgetting they aren't soundproofed as usual. He quickens his pace when he feels Harry start to clench and tighten around him, groaning rather loudly when he feels Harry twitch and warmth coats his hand.

He slows for a moment, prolonging Harry's pleasure but unable to hold back anymore and empties himself with a muffled grunt. He goes limp, pulling Harry close and snuggling into him as best he can.

They lay quietly, their breathing evening back out slowly. "Alright?" Jake asks, smiling when he hears Harry huff with annoyance. "Sorry," he whispers, "I can't help asking, I'm still convinced I'm like... jostling her around in there." Or poking her, but he refuses to mention that again after Harry had laughed at him for a solid five minutes and then punched him for being 'daft'.

"I know, and I'm brilliant," Harry says and yawns loudly before wiggling back against Jake with a near-purr contentment when Jake's arms tighten around him. Honestly, if a big stack of pancakes materialized on Jake's arse right now, this would be the best morning and the only way he wants wake up from now on.

He stretches, wincing slightly when he is suddenly left bereft of Jake filling him and turns, kissing Jake's chin as he curls his hands against his chest and presses close, seeking a snuggle. "Morning," he says, grinning at the belated greeting.

Jake chuckles, brushing hair from Harry's face and kisses him softly on the lips. "Morning." He runs a hand down to Harry's belly and nearly pouts. No kicks or nudges, all is calm. "Not an early bird, eh?" he asks, poking gently in a bid to get some action from their daughter.

Harry laughs, smacking Jake's hand away. "No, stop it. Do not wake the little football player," he mutters, happy for some peace. He knows Jake enjoys feeling the kicks but he's not the one getting jabbed in the kidneys and bladder at all hours, though.

Jake perks up, grinning. "Really? Did Luna say that?" he asks, imagining his little girl in a pink little football outfit, complete with a pink helmet as she kicks butt and takes names on the field.

"No," Harry snorts. "She's quite the kicker," he explains, looking up at Jake's odd expression before rolling his eyes. "Soccer," he says sarcastically, amused at the nearly constant struggle over the proper name for the sport. "Well, anyway," he says, pushing Jake away gently. "I'm going to have a wash."

Jake nods, rolling out of bed reluctantly and hurrying to the other side to help Harry up, rolling his lips to keep in a laugh as Harry huffs and grunts into a standing position. He eyes Harry's nude body and has to remind himself that he's now running short on time and hurries into the bathroom, trying to avert his eyes from the very appealing sight as he passes a naked Harry.

He gets the shower started and leans against the shower door, watching Harry shuffle in, still somehow yawning sleepily with half-closed eyelids. "Did I not wake you properly?" he asks, amused, ducking a hand swatting at his head with a laugh.

"No," Harry says once again. Well, Jake really had but he was quickly slipping back into his previous state of sleepiness now that his body has calmed down from orgasm and wants to sleep again. "Shuddup," he grumbles, pushing past Jake and hogs the hot spray.

He laughs like a loon when Jake tries to move him to share. He cackles, unable to help himself, when he's somehow able to keep under the spray no matter how much Jake tries to shift or move him. "Oh, just gimme a moment," he finally relents, watching Jake shiver lightly and stare longingly at the shampoo.

~oOo~

Harry looks through a rack of men's trousers, grumbling to himself as he shuffles over to the larger sizes. He refused Hermione's not-so-subtle hint to check the Maternity section; he is _not_ wearing women's clothes. Even if they might fit better.

Why don't any of the wizarding clothing stores offer maternity clothes a wizard could wear? It's unfair and annoying. He mumbles to himself as he sorts through trousers, trying to remember if Hermione's alteration charms work well enough for him to go three sizes up, when he pauses, eyes going a bit wide as he catches sight of at least two of Jake's old pack members out of the corner of his eye.

He contemplates ducking and shakes his head. Most of them don't even know what he looks like. He suddenly wishes he had waited until Seth could come or that he hadn't let Hermione and Luna wander off.

He stiffens when he feels someone invade his space and turns enough to see a tall man giving him a look he guesses is meant to be menacing or threatening. It really just makes the man look constipated or fighting an itch in an awkward place and he has to subtly pinch himself to keep from laughing out loud, probably right in his pinched-up face. He's quite sure doing such a thing would be a bad idea.

"I know you," Paul says with a sneer on his face, looking Harry over with an expression practically dripping with disdain. "You're that freaky little fag that Jake got himself stuck with. Aren't you?"

Harry tries to ignore the sudden pang at the nasty name and feels panic surge through him when his eyes prickle anyway, against his will. Fuck fuck _fuck_ ; now is probably the _worst_ possible moment to be hit with hormones.

He takes a deep breath and tries to smile. "I'm sorry, have we met?" he asks, backing away slightly. He really wants to look for Hermione but he has a feeling taking his eyes off the glowering bloke in front of him would be a big mistake. He's not exactly afraid but he doesn't want to be taken by surprise; this looks like the kinda bloke that would hit a man when he isn't looking.

"No, thank god," Paul says, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling dramatically and crowding the small man in front of him. He really doesn't give a shit about Jake, the bullshit that Sam rants about or the others leaving the pack. He's just been itching for a fight and the little wimp in front of him looks like an easy target. It's bonus points to know it'll piss off Jake, too.

He snickers meanly. "Do you realize—" He steps closer, smirking when Harry backs up half a step, "you're in _our_ territory?"

Embry and Quil dart uneasy glances at each other, feeling unsure what to do as they watch Paul crowd the smaller man. Paul, since they lost four members of the pack, suddenly found himself Sam's Beta and they really can't go against him if he keeps pushing.

Plus, they're kind of afraid of him. He has a hair trigger on a good day... and neither one is keen on jumping in to save a guy they barely know. Jake's imprint or not. He isn't pack; Paul is.

"No, I didn't realize that," Harry says calmly, shrugging one shoulder in what he hopes to appear to be casual indifference. "Is there a map or something I might consult so I don't trespass in the future?"

Paul's eyes narrow and a fist clenches. "Think you're funny, huh?" he asks lowly.

"No, merely curious," Harry says, fighting the urge to back away again. He'll be trapped and surrounded in trousers if he's forced any further. All around, not a good place to be.

Unconsciously, his hands splay protectively over his glamoured belly as the werewolf gets closer, worried the bastard will feel the bulge that isn't visible if he gets any closer. He had Hermione weave the glamour for him, since he looked obviously pregnant and couldn't go out around Muggles looking as such. He tried just wearing big shirts, enjoying wearing Jake's clothes, but they just accentuated his belly instead of camouflaging it.

He's grateful the werewolves can't see past the glamour, a sudden cold wash of fear shooting through him as he wonders what they'd do if they could.

Quil's eyes widen as he watches Harry, the move sparking a vaguely unsettling thought in his mind. He's seen enough pregnant women for the move to be familiar. It takes a moment for the visual and memories to connect with something he heard Sam say, an idea surfacing and he's suddenly terrified.

He can feel the blood drop from his face and he steps closer, inching towards Paul and trying not to panic.

"Paul, we really need to get Emily's gift," he says quietly, daring to put a hand on the older werewolf's arm, silently hoping Paul doesn't whip around and sock him for it. He'd probably take the hit if it got the attention away from Harry. He's shrugged off but he _can't_ let it go. He has no interest, whatsoever, in messing with Jake's imprint; Jake's _pregnant_ imprint.

If Paul is a big enough asshole to completely ignore the respect another wolf's imprint should get, he probably won't care the guy is pregnant. He'd probably be even more of a dick because it's a pregnant _guy_.

Quil swallows thickly at the very terrifying idea; the image of a thoroughly enraged Jake almost makes him whimper. He's unsure if telling Paul the information would be helpful or not, though... He involuntarily winces when he thinks it would be bad. For Harry. And then, without a doubt, for their entire pack.

He licks his lips, his eyes darting nervously around before landing on his friend next to him. He sees no one else he could ask for help with Paul and silently begs Embry to help get Paul to back off but his friend just shrugs, having no idea what he's trying to imply. Fuck.

He shifts from foot to foot, trying to think of what he can do. He doesn't want to announce his suspicions aloud.

"Fuck off and get it then, Quil," Paul says, annoyed, not even turning around. He gives a twisted little smile to the small man in front of him. "You don't need a map, asshole. It's _all_ ours," he says in a calm voice.

Embry and Quil share another uneasy look, both unnerved by the deceptively calm tone.

Harry looks between the three men, trying to keep his calm. He doesn't know any of them but he's heard enough about Paul for panic and fear to worm through him sharply, making his stomach roil unpleasantly. He doesn't give a shit about how it looks anymore and he looks around, hoping to see either Hermione's bushy hair or Luna's blonde head. He nearly whimpers when he sees neither and fights the urge to shrink in on himself.

He is not going to be intimidated by some arse with a superiority complex.

He could probably physically handle any of the werewolves even if he is a bit rusty in his hand-to-hand training, and he's pretty confident it would come back as he went, since most of his moves targeted larger opponents. But his decreased strength and bulging belly gives him pause. He's truly unsure he can successfully protect himself physically and he can't use magic. Otherwise, he'd have already had his wand up the bastard's arse.

"I see," Harry says quietly, trying to subtly back away some more. The very idea of retreating leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but he refuses to put his child in danger and any confrontation with the man in front of him would lead to a dangerous path.

He doesn't even bother looking at the two men behind Paul, noit wanting to take his eyes away from Paul for a moment, aware they aren't going to help him. Whether they share Paul's feelings or are stuck in some sort of pack dynamic, he doesn't know or give a shit.

"I guess if you leave now, I can look the other way," Paul says, making a shooing gesture. He deliberately swings his hand close to Harry, intending to threaten and taunt the smaller man, and scowls when Harry doesn't even flinch. In fact, he notices with clenching teeth and fists, green eyes seem to spark with something dangerous and the little wimp stands taller.

He feels a niggle of fear go through him but instead of listening to the instinct, it only makes him fume with rage. He will not be intimidated by this... wimpy little wolf bitch!

"Jake isn't here to protect his little bitch," he taunts and takes another step closer, smirking with malicious glee.

Harry sucks in a deep breath, trying to control the wild burst of magic he can feel trying to lash out and he grits his teeth. "I don't need anyone to protect me." He squares his shoulders, unaware his features are pinched with fury.

He smiles darkly when all three werewolves take a hasty step back, lowering his hands from his stomach. Belatedly, he realizes he'd been stroking it, a habit that was subconscious mostly, and he hopes to Merlin none of the men noticed or knows what it means.

"Don't make me show you why I was chosen for an Alpha," Harry says so quietly, all three men unconsciously lean forward to hear him before quickly shrinking back. He makes a dramatic, strictly for show, move with his left hand and raises it, his open palm aimed right at Paul's chest. He almost giggles when three sets of eyes widen and focus on his hand.

"Or, do. It's been awhile since I've had a decent fight." He stares, daring the werewolf to make a move even as he hopes he doesn't. He doesn't know what he's going to do if Paul calls his bluff...

Emmett barrels over to the cluster of werewolves, rudely and forcefully pushing through the group to stand protectively in front of Harry. He hears a very quiet sigh of relief and feels Harry rest against his back. He wants to frown when he feels the wizard tremble slightly and just feels relief they aren't too late.

"Hey fuckers!" he says cheerfully before his face morphs into a fierce glower, looking at each werewolf in turn.

He notices, with no surprise at all, that Paul is the one in front and the only one daring to give him his fierce puppy look. The other two slink back from him, shame and unease radiating off them in waves that he doesn't need Jasper to point out. He can practically smell it and he has to suppress a smug smirk, preferring to keep his fierce glower in place.

"What's up?" he asks the gathered werewolves, grinning with lots of teeth. He feels Harry's weight shift off him and hears Jasper murmuring quietly to the wizard, soothing the frazzled nerves with a quick pop of his mojo. He doesn't turn but he's surprised the little wizard allowed it, and anger surges through him when he realizes how freaked out Harry must have been.

"Nothing," Embry says, speaking up for the first time when Quil just shrinks back and Paul looks about to say something smart. He yanks on Paul's arm, growling softly when he's shrugged off. Fine, let the asshole get his ass ripped into by a pair of vampires.

He snags Quil around the elbow instead and they both back away, no way in hell are they messing with Jake's imprint, a legitimate magic user, and two obviously pissed off vampires. He should probably be surprised the vampires know the small man, but he's not. Jake was one of the few that got along with any of the leeches the first time, assuming Edward wasn't around.

"We should go, man," he whispers to Quil, darting nervous glances between Paul and Emmett.

Quil nods, still watching Paul try to be a big man in front of a raging vampire before looking at the blonde vampire standing motionless, but protectively, in front of Harry. He doesn't blame either vampire, they're obviously friendly with Jake's imprint and aware of his... condition.

He's even more eager to get the fuck out of there when he catches Jasper's eye. The mellow amber eyes flash black and the vampire's top lip peels back in a silent snarl. A vivid image of the way the vampire could fight flashes through his mind and he gulps.

He backs away, praying that Paul isn't stupid enough to actually start a fight with two vampires or completely lose his shit and phase in the middle of a store. Sam will probably already chew their asses out for even talking to Harry to begin with; he'd been pretty clear about ignoring Jake and the entire 'traitor' pack.

"Nothing," Paul says, in a mocking tone, glaring up at Emmett, annoyed the vampire is tall enough he's forced to tilt his head up and expose his neck. He ignores the blonde leech baby-sitting Jake's bitch. "Just talking with... what ever his name is," he says dismissively, flicking a finger towards where Harry is hiding.

Harry bristles but doesn't say a word, just stands gratefully behind Jasper, resting his forehead against his cool back. He smiles a little when he feels Jasper turn enough to reach up and gently pat his head, touched the blonde vampire is soothing him with a touch and not another wave of his power.

He wants to ask why and how Emmett and Jasper are here but he's just relieved and happy the vampires are. He's finally calmed himself down and he doesn't want to think about what might've happened if the vampires hadn't shown up. A cool hand strokes down his back in a calming motion and he relaxes again, giving Jasper a grateful smile.

Later he might feel like a wimp for allowing the vampires to protect him, but right now he's just too grateful to care.

"His name is Harry, you fuckwit. I'm amazed you didn't already know and that your whole mangy pack aren't pissing down their legs at the mention of his name. He's a real bad ass," Emmett says proudly, crossing his arms over his massive chest. "Seen it myself," he adds cheerfully. He laughs when Paul's face pinches with disbelief. "Yeah, I get it—you're one of those assholes that need to be shown before they believe anything, and honestly, I'd totally dig a demonstration," he says, sounding excited.

Really, if he'd started clapping and bouncing around like a toddler, it would have surprised no one.

"But we gotta go! Well, _you_ gotta go," he corrects, his voice dropping suddenly into an low, commanding tone as he points a hard finger in Paul's chest, smirking with dark humor when the werewolf stumbles backward enough to have his arms pinwheeling to keep his balance.

Emmett sucks his teeth in annoyance when the jerk manages to stay upright. He had really hoped to see the asshole land on his ass.

Paul struggles not to gulp, or wince from the pain of Emmett's finger jabbing into his chest like a sledge hammer and sneers. "Yeah right," he scoffs.

He doesn't believe the little man hiding behind the other vampire can do much of anything but he doesn't want to go through a pair of vampires to get to him, either. Not only would he probably lose against Emmett or Jasper (and most definitely both together) in a fight, but it would piss off Sam.

And probably mess with the treaty, if they even still have one. They really don't need to make peace with the leeches but even he is smart enough to know it benefits them, too. A fight between the two groups could really go either way (and favored the leeches, at the moment, with their pack's reduced numbers) and he doesn't like to mess with odds that aren't firmly in his favor.

"I guess I'll just have to wait for some other time," he says, trying to sound threatening but coming off relieved. He grits his teeth and turns on his heel, stomping away in a huff, his eyes flicking around for witnesses. Luckily, he's the only one around close enough to have heard their little discussion.

He tightens his fists, silently cursing Embry and Quil for running off with their tails between their legs. Goddamn pussies.

"Hey," Emmett says softly, only turning around when he sees Paul stomp out of the store. "You alright, Harry?" he asks, looking worried.

He'd ran as fast as he could when Alice had thrown something at him to get his attention off the video game he was beating Teddy at, shouting the store name and 'Harry!' with a stricken look on her face. He'd been around long enough to not ask questions or hesitate a moment longer. Jasper had rushed past him and they took off, trying not to panic.

Harry nods slowly, running a shaky hand over his forehead and through his hair. "Yeah. Oh, Merlin," he breathes, flopping onto Emmett again with relief, the dissipating adrenaline rush making him feel shaky and lightheaded. "Thank you, Emmett," he says sincerely, looking up. "Thank you, Jasper."

He feels his eyes prickle again and sheepishly swipes at them, giving the concerned looking vampires a helpless shrug. Thankfully, Emmett is used to his emotional outbursts and doesn't attribute the tears with his current state. He gives Jasper a watery smile, "Happens all the time," he says, pointing to his leaking eyes, sniffling. He gets an understanding nod and sighs.

"You're welcome, man," Emmett says sincerely. "I woulda been here sooner but I... fell," he adds sheepishly, grateful he can't blush. He'd misjudged a fallen tree and took a tumble that had him rolling down a large hill, in the complete opposite direction. Jasper had tumbled down right next to him, losing his focus when Emmett fell. He was in such a rush, he wasn't watching where he was going and he curses softly when he realizes what it might have cost Harry or his baby.

He nearly winces at the reaction Jake would have to that. He'd protect Harry for any reason, he likes the little wizard a lot, but he's not afraid to admit a pissed off Alpha Werewolf (especially one with a pregnant mate) is another motivating factor.

He eyes Harry closely, looking over the wizard for any lingering signs of distress or injury. He doesn't _see_ anything, but he's not Carlisle. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asks quietly, his gaze dropping to what he knows should be a much more prominent belly bulge. He wonders briefly why he can't see it before he remembers; magic, duh.

Harry shrugs and then closes his eyes and takes a moment for the self-reflection technique that Charlotte taught him before he answers. His heart is still beating a bit faster than usual and his baby-girl is doing water aerobics on his bladder from the earlier upset but nothing else feels different.

He rubs a hand soothingly along his glamoured belly, not caring if it looks like he's petting the air over himself and sighs with relief. He slowly opens his eyes and smiles. "Yeah, I'm good. I managed to keep my magic from kicking in."

He should probably call Charlotte, just in case. He's nearly 6 months along and while he doesn't feel anything that makes his instincts or magic twinge with warning, he doesn't want to chance it.

"Oh, that's good right?" Emmett asks. He'd been more worried about any of those mangy mutts touching Harry but he guesses Harry using magic right now is probably a bad thing when he realizes he hadn't seen the wizard with his wand in weeks, if not months. It finally makes sense why Luna was always around Draco, doing all sorts of magic for the other blonde. He thought it was some sort of weird friendship bonding thing since both of them enjoyed it.

Harry nods and slowly edges forward, urging Emmett back. He no longer feels threatened and no longer feeling the need to hide among the trousers. He looks up at the massive vampire and cocks his head a bit in confusion. "What're you doing here, by the way? Not that I'm not bloody grateful to see you," he ends, smiling and throwing a very light punch into the vampire's solid gut. He huffs out a strangled laugh when Emmett bends down enough to give him a thankfully brief bear-hug.

"Alice," Emmett says with a shrug, as if it explains everything. And it does, really. Alice didn't bother focusing on Harry often, him being so close to Jake usually blocked Harry from her visions. He didn't know what his tiny 'sister' saw, but he's glad he averted whatever vision had her scared enough to pinch her pretty face in fear and worry.

He grins cheekily when Harry nods in understanding and picks the wizard up, barking a delighted laugh when Harry blushes and sputters when he's cradled like a baby. "So, should I be taking you to your doctor now?" he asks, his smile dimming with concern and seriousness.

Harry huffs but nods. "Yeah, I was going to anyway." He grabs onto Emmett when the vampire starts walking quicker, headed for the door. "Oi! Hermione and Luna are about... somewhere."

"I'll let them know," Jasper offers, smiling warmly at Harry. "I'll also let Alice know we were successful and it will probably take an hour or so to calm her down," he says, smiling fondly, barely suppressing a snicker. He looks to Harry, "I wouldn't expect to get much peace when you get back."

He chuckles when Harry nods knowingly, not looking at all put out at the prospect. He shakes his head, marveling how the wizard can handle his excitable little mate. He loves Alice with everything he is and even he can't take her nearly-manic ways at times.

"We'll bring dinner," he adds, knowing Esme will insist.

Harry beams, a hand rubbing his belly in anticipation. He'd never refuse a visit from his vampire ladies, especially if they bring food. "If you see Esme, tell her I've been dying for fried chicken." He laughs with delight when Jasper nods seriously and, after checking the area was clear, turns and hurries off in a blur in search of the two wandering witches.

"Ready?" Emmett asks, situating Harry comfortably and disappears in a rush of speed and wind when he gets a nod.

He laughs when Harry whoops with excitement, relieved the little wizard has perked up enough to enjoy the speedy run. He'd be worried if Harry didn't enjoy the rush; the guy was nearly suicidal with his enjoyment of speed. He'd only seen him fly once (on a _broom_ , for fuck's sake!) but it was enough. He had slapped Jake on the back and shook his head with sympathy when Harry had landed with flushed cheeks and a big shit-eating grin on his face. He couldn't help laughing, though, when the poor werewolf looked torn between wanting to jump his man or lock him in a protectively padded room.

Harry barely manages to fumble his mobile from his pocket and taps out a text, hoping it's legible but not really caring. He's a bit annoyed he was abandoned in the first place. He doesn't think the situation would have been avoided (Paul struck him as the kinda guy that wouldn't think twice about picking on a woman) but they at least had wands they could use.

Luna, he sighs with regret, would've loved to show Paul and the other two how many wordless spells she's mastered. He cringes a bit, snuggling into Emmett's large chest, when he remembers most inflicted pain internally or on one's bits. Luna is rather scary, now that he thinks about it; she'd learned quite a few Dark spells during the war.

He blinks owlishly when they suddenly stop. "How do you know where Charlotte's office is?" he asks incredulously, looking up at Emmett with wide eyes. He'd only learned about it two weeks ago since Charlotte usually came to the house.

"Carlisle and Charlotte have been all—" Emmett waves a hand, trying to find the right word, "cohorting together on something. They switch between Carlisle's office at home and hers. He gave me the address and phone number. Just in case, you know?" he says, slowly walking through the front door.

He chuckles and gently sets Harry down when the wizard fidgets and grumbles something about being treated like a baby. "Sorry," he says and grins.

Harry huffs, a smile quirking his lips. He didn't exactly hate being carried, but now that he is no longer being transported or in peril, so to speak, it feels wrong for it to be someone other than Jake.

"Thanks, Emmett," he says patting the vampire's arm and hurries over to the receptionist.

He glares when he hears Emmett snickering, the vampire cooing softly at the slightly duck-like gait he's acquired. He'd flip him off if the woman behind the glass partition didn't look up at that moment. "Harry Black to see healer Charlotte Smith, please." Her eyes drop back down to her desk, though, as soon as she sees Harry standing there.

"Appointment?" the receptionist asks, her tone bored. She doesn't even look up from her tablet, too busy playing a card game, to notice the waiting room is empty.

Harry glares at the top of the woman's head. "No, but it's kind of an emergency," he says, airily. "I'm nearly six months pregnant and was attacked." He snorts when the bottle-blonde's head whips up and her garishly painted red lips gape. "Harry Black," he adds again, raising an eyebrow when she just blinks stupidly at him.

"I'll see if Healer Smith is available," she says and hops up, tucking her tablet under her arm as she scurries off. Charlotte will probably yell at her again for screwing around if anything is actually wrong with the wizard. She taps on the door and sighs with relief when the healer answers right away. "Harry Black is out in the waiting room, can you see him?" she asks, poking her head in the door.

Charlotte nods, tucking the papers she was reading aside. She rolls her eyes when Cynthia, her rather useless receptionist, nods vacantly and hurries off, letting the door slam shut behind her. The woman is distantly related enough she can't fire her incompetent ass until she does something truly incompetent.

She blinks when Harry enters with Emmett following closely behind. She's only met the massive vampire a few times and she can't help but smile warmly at him as he helps Harry sit on the paper-covered table. "How are you today, Harry?" she asks, already getting her wand, quill and papers ready.

"Just a general check up," Harry says, hoping he didn't have to answer any questions about why he's here now and couldn't wait the two weeks until his next scheduled appointment. He nearly rolls his eyes when he realizes the receptionist must not have told Charlotte why he's here. It's annoying and a relief at the same time.

Charlotte waves her wand, going through the normal spells and charms. "And why is that?" she asks, humming under her breath when the results start scratching out on the paper, the quill moving quickly. "You're blood pressure is elevated," she says, looking at Harry with concern.

"I sorta had a bit of excitement a while ago," Harry says slowly, hoping to Merlin that's what's caused the elevated reading. "Would that raise it?"

Charlotte nods. "Of course. What sort of excitement are we talking about here?" she asks, looking at Emmett quickly. Her brows pinch slightly when Harry and Emmett both start laughing, misreading her glance at the vampire. "Oh, you..." she trails off, laughing too, despite herself.

"I was... confronted. I got nervous and my magic nearly lash out."

Charlotte's amusement puffs away and she runs another charm, her wand moving in a complicated pattern Harry can't keep track off. "Oh, you're fine," she breathes, relieved.

She gently pushes up Harry's shirt as she conjures the sonogram-like charm, the plastic screen popping out of thin air to hover over Harry's belly before he can blink. She waves away the glamour, sharing a grin with Emmett when Harry's belly shimmers and the bulge reappears.

"Let's see how your little girl is doing," she says quietly, quickly bringing the image up.

Harry and Emmett watch, both smiling, as the image solidifies. Harry already knows baby-girl has settled and he reaches a finger out to brush a finger down the image of what he thinks is her cheek. "Alright?" he asks quietly.

"Oh yes," Charlotte nods. "Quite alright. Now, I did notice a slight 'smudge' as it were on your core, so, do be careful," she says softly but firmly. "It's not harmful and you'll be fine with no other incidents, especially within the next day or so."

She firmly clasps Harry's hand in hers, wanting to offer comfort and reassurance when Harry's eyes tear up and a guilty expression crosses his face. "I promise you, she's fine. You're fine. You controlled it and there is no reason to worry. I'm glad you came in though," she says and gives Harry a one-armed hug. "One quick use of magic won't hurt you, either of you, Harry. So, if something does happen, do not panic, alright?" she says as Harry nods slowly, pulling his shirt down. "Naturally, avoid it, but it's nothing to work yourself up about. The stress of panicking over it can be worse than the magic use. But do call me should it occur, alright?"

Harry nods, he's glad too. His mind is soothed, for now. "Can I take anything for stress?" he asks Charlotte.

"I have one or two potions that are safe for you in your current condition," Charlotte says slowly, going around and pulling a small vial from her desk drawer. The liquid inside is thin and transparent, like water, and colored a pleasant rose color. "Two drops, in any liquid. Are you feeling stressed, Harry?" she asks, handing the vials over. "Oh, don't take it with chamomile. It tastes like... well, it's very unpleasant and the effectiveness is reduced," she adds, her nose wrinkling a little.

Harry nods; he doesn't like chamomile tea, anyway. "Normally, no. But today was... eventful. I know Jake will erupt when he finds out and I'd like to keep myself from stressing out baby-girl," he says and rubs his belly. He laughs when he sees Emmett's head nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah, Jake's gonna lose his shit, completely." Emmett agrees. He's torn between agreeing—naturally, he'd do the same were it Rosie—and hoping the werewolf can keep it together. He'd help the guy rip into some furry hides, no question, but he doesn't look forward to seeing Harry all stressed out and feeling guilty about it. "Can you give Jake those drops?" he asks, pointing at the vial of potion.

Harry holds one up and looks at it speculatively. "Probably not."

"Not effectively," Charlotte answers. "It would probably take the entire bottle and even then I don't think it would be effective," she says, looking between Harry and Emmett disapprovingly. "Potions don't effect Muggles like they do wizards," she says and holds up a hand, "Yes, Jake isn't exactly a Muggle, but I daresay he'd be even less effected. His sheer bulk and high metabolism alone would make any normal dosing useless."

Harry, for some reason, beams smugly at the mention of Jake's size. His husband _is_ a massive bugger. "Yeah, alright," he says. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," he says and gives the healer a sincere smile. He waits as Charlotte casts another charm, checking his blood pressure again and sighs with it comes back at a much more normal reading.

"Don't mention it, Harry. I leave a few empty spaces for any patient emergency." She waves as Harry leaves.

Her face goes dark with a scowl once the door closes. She didn't ask who he had his 'excitement' with but she's seething. Obviously, he'd been threatened and she can't imagine who would be stupid enough to do such a thing. Not only is Harry a powerful wizard, even though temporarily unable to use magic due to his pregnancy, he's bonded to an Alpha werewolf.

She tsks and shakes her head, huffing out her irritation and rather irrational 'mama bear' sense of protectiveness. While she's not an advocate of violence, she hopes Harry lets his husband know who had threatened him.

She chuckles softly; Harry probably won't but Emmett will. She's not sure why but it brings a smile to her face and she focuses back on the files she'd been sorting before Harry came in.

~oOo~

Harry rolls his eyes, for what feels like the hundredth time, and pouts. "I'm fine, love," he says, again, for what feels like the hundredth time.

"Happy to hear it," Jake says seriously. "But that's really not the point, babe," he adds softly through gritted teeth. He notices Emmett nodding and he throws a hand out in his direction. "Emmett can understand, why are you being so dense? I'm allowed to be pissed about this, Harry."

He had barely restrained the urge to phase and burst out of the house when Emmett told him what happened earlier. He's still shocked and enraged that _anyone_ had the nerve to approach his Harry but it's somehow worse it was Paul. His fingers twitch with the urge to wrap around his fucking neck and squeeze.

Harry's shoulders slump and he flops back in the chair. "I didn't say you couldn't be. For fuck's sake, I'm only trying to calm you down so you don't go tearing out there and causing some sort of war just because I had my feelings hurt."

"He _threatened_ you," Jake says tightly, a fist clenching painfully. "You _said_ you felt threatened. That Emmett saved you from, as you said, 'Merlin knows what' and you honestly expect me to do nothing about it?" He stares down at Harry, willing him to understand and just relent.

Why does Harry have to be so damn compassionate towards everyone? It's endearing most times but not now. Now, he wants Harry to be outraged and demand retribution for the not-at-all unreasonable reason of 'getting his feelings hurt'. No one has the right to do even _that_ to him but he doesn't see it!

Harry folds his arms over his chest and sulks. "No," he mutters.

Alright, so he doesn't like the idea of Jake running out and confronting Sam or Paul but he also doesn't like the idea of Paul getting away with his behavior, either. A bigger part of him than he likes really wishes he could just happily let his Alpha wolf run off and defend him, fully aware Jake won't be on the losing side of any disagreement with the other pack.

He groans aloud, clutching at his hair for a moment, with the warring thoughts and looks up helplessly. "Look, I'm not trying to control you or say you can't _do_ anything. I know you can't really rein in those wolfy instincts, love, but I don't want to see you do anything drastic when nothing actually happened."

"Nothing happ—! He threatened you! He called you a bitch. He called you a fag," Jake hisses, both fists tightly clenched now.

He watches as Harry flinches and sighs, rubbing a tingling hand over his face. The name calling he might be able to forgive, but not the threat of physical violence.

"I can't let this go, Harry. I _can't_ just not react in some way. I'm probably not going to start a fight, but Sam needs to know what his pack members are doing and to keep them fucking leashed," he growls lowly.

His eyes widen with panic and his gaze darts to Harry's belly. He drops to his knees and cups the bump. "Do they know?" he whispers, fear prickling through him. If Paul knew... Rage blinds him for a moment when he realizes it would've only spurred Paul on, most definitely into drastic action.

Harry shrugs. "I doubt it. I had 'Mione put a glamour on me since we'd be around Muggles. I don't think they were able to see through it," he says, both to placate Jake and himself. He sighs, running a hand through Jake's hair, reluctantly adding; "I think one of them might have suspected, though. He tried to get Paul to back off."

"Which one?"

"I haven't a clue, love," Harry says, feeling tired all of a sudden. Thankfully, whatever Charlotte gave him to relax is working and he's not as wired as he normally would be. "I would've thought he told the others but I don't think he did."

He knows it's not a secret it _can_ happen but he isn't thrilled knowing they might know it to be true now. He runs an uneasy hand down his belly, feeling rather shocked they wouldn't show more respect for a pregnant mate. Even if Jake isn't in their pack, some things should be respected just _because_.

Jake sighs and pulls Harry from the chair, holding him close and briefly acknowledging Emmett as he slips from the room. "All the more reason for me to talk to Sam." He slips a hand down to protectively stroke Harry's belly and sighs again.

"What if it had been Draco?" As expected, Harry's sound of outrage makes him smile softly. It's a bit annoying Harry thinks of others first but if it helps get his point across... "Would you stop Joe from having words?"

"No," Harry mutters. He pulls back enough to look at Jake. " _He's_ not my husband or mate, though. I can't control what he does."

Jake chuckles, finally feeling some tension leave his shoulders. Not all of it. That probably won't relax until he's got Paul's throat in his hands. "True, but you wouldn't argue against it."

"No," Harry mutters again. He'd probably stand by, cheering Joe on, actually. "Sorry," he whispers. He squeezes Jake tightly and burrows his face in his chest. He hums softly when a warm hand rests on the back of his head, strong fingers stroking and massaging. "I just don't like the idea of being some wimp who needs others to fight for him," he says softly.

Jake huffs and stands before turning and settling them both into the chair. "You're very capable. We all know that. Right now? Not so much, so we're happy to do it. Let them think you're unable to defend yourself," he says, laughing when Harry makes an indignant noise. "It'll be all the more special when they think they can mess with you and you totally fuck 'em up."

"True," Harry says after a long moment of thought. "Still..." He pouts, snuggling into Jake's lap, enjoying the moment. "I hate that tosser and now he's convinced I need you or Emmett to protect me. It's bloody aggravating." He sighs and focuses on rubbing his belly, the action soothing and calming almost as much Jake's hand carding through his hair and rubbing his shoulders occasionally. He sighs again when Jake's hands settle to their spots on his belly and head, feeling on the verge of melting into a puddle of goo.

Jake nods, conceding the point. Sure, he knows Harry is more than capable and can understand how it might chafe a bit to be thought weak. Still... "I'm glad you didn't try to prove yourself," he says softly, in no way wanting to imagine what might have happened. Harry just hums lazily in agreement, his husband's body completely relaxed in his hold. "When Esme gets here, I'm going."

"Alright," Harry says softly. He's a bit surprised he's stalled Jake this long. He's not exactly against Jake confronting Sam, he just didn't want Jake to do it right away, on a full head of angry steam. He doesn't hold any love for the other Alpha, but he doesn't want Jake to regret any rash actions. "Can you promise not to over-react? I wasn't hurt, so there's no real reason to get violent."

Jake runs his teeth over his bottom lip as his hands smooth over Harry's back, both actions automatic as he thinks. "No promises, babe. He really fucked up and I can't honestly promise I won't tear his face off the second I see him."

Honestly, no one would blame him either. Anyone in the same position would be welcomed (if not _encouraged_ ) to take action. You don't mess with someone's imprint, especially not a pregnant imprint. Sure, the idiot didn't know that Harry is pregnant but it doesn't excuse his bullying ways.

"But, I _can_ promise I won't be going alone. I'm not worried about being outnumbered," he immediately adds when he feels Harry tense. "But Joe can calm me down if needed. Okay?"

"Seth, too," Harry says, glancing up at Jake.

Jake huffs but his mouth twitches with a smile. "Yeah, okay. Seth, too. He's pretty mellow."

The next hour is spent the same way; Harry perched on Jake lap, dozing occasionally, and they just sit and enjoy each other's company. Jake looks up when he hears Joe come in the room. He makes a soft shushing noise, making Joe aware Harry is sleeping. "Hey," he says quietly.

"Hey, what's up?" Joe asks, looking between the sleeping wizard and Jake.

Jake looks... pissed but trying not to look it at the same time. He doesn't say aloud the resulting expression is one that's best kept to the bathroom (Jake doesn't look like he'd even chuckle right now). He had noticed Emmett lurking in the kitchen talking quietly into his phone and can't help wondering what's going on.

As much as he wants to find Draco, he's aware his Alpha might need him. Dammit.

Jake sighs and tilts his head towards the sofa near him, indicating Joe should sit. When he does, he shifts Harry enough to be able to see Joe better. "Long story short, Paul had the balls to corner Harry earlier."

"Oh," Joe says, face pinching in anger. "He still breathing?" he asks sarcastically, well aware of how _he'd_ react should the idiot have tried something with his Draco. He tries not to gape when Jake nods, but he notices Jake's jaw muscles jumping spastically as his teeth clench. "So, what happened?" he asks, settling back and getting the full story.

By the time Jake gets to the part where Emmett came in, he's seething. "Asshole! It's a given you don't mess with someone's imprint," he growls.

Jake nods, running a hand down Harry's side when he shifts in his sleep, curling up to snuggle against his chest. He should probably feel a bit silly with his husband perched on his lap like a kid but he's enjoying it too much to move Harry. And Joe doesn't appear to be bothered by it, either.

"Apparently Paul is rather stupid all around," he says softly, gently rubbing Harry's bump. "I want to rip his throat out, man," he confesses quietly. He knows Harry understands (more or less in an abstract way) but Joe will _get it_. Joe will agree and completely feel the same in his position.

"I know, so do I and it wasn't even my man," Joe agrees easily. He can't imagine the restraint Jake used to not burst out of there the second he had heard. He can only imagine the talk he'd had with Harry, and he feels amusement and respect for the little wizard all over again. Not many would brave a seething Alpha werewolf, mated husband or not.

"Do they know he's pregnant?" he asks quietly.

Jake shrugs and shakes his head. "Harry seemed to think no, but one of them might have figured it out somehow but it didn't seem like they knew. But that's no excuse," he growls, looking up and pinning Joe with a hard look.

"I know, man," Joe says and raises his hands. "I'm just curious. It makes things a whole lot worse if they did that shit knowing he was pregnant, is all I'm saying." He watches Jake compose himself, both hands now settled over Harry's belly and stroking lightly. He coughs lightly when a hand goes to slip under Harry's shirt, laughing when Jake gives him a sheepish look. He can't blame the man but he doesn't want a front row seat.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asks, sitting back.

Jake stares off for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "I _want_ to tear Paul a new asshole, but what I _will_ do is talk to Sam. He needs to better control his pack, be more aware of them running their mouths about territory and threatening other's imprints."

"You think he's gonna care?" Joe asks after a moment.

He saw how Sam looked at all of them the last time they were gathered and he knows the bastard won't give two shits if one of his pack did something; he'd probably praise them and just shrug at Jake's concerns. He only spares a moment to mourn the fact they can't seem to get along and mentally shrugs. They're the stronger pack, so he's really not concerned what they think.

Jake shrugs, giving Joe a flat grin. "Don't care if he cares or not, I'll make sure he's aware anything like that happening again will be bad for them. I won't give a second warning."

He looks up and sees Esme standing in the doorway, offering her a smile when her expression softens as she looks at Harry. She steps close enough to run a hand gently through Harry's hair, smoothing the messy locks for a moment and laughing softly when it springs right back into place.

"We're going to go, but we shouldn't be long," he tells her.

"Alright," Esme agrees, nodding. Her face goes dark for a moment, reminding both werewolves the usually kind woman is indeed a vampire, before softening again in the usual look of motherly affection they're used to. "Do be careful but..." she pauses and leans down, lowering her voice. "Kick his mangy butt for even _thinking_ he could get away with such actions."

Jake nods, biting back a laugh at Esme's words. He completely agrees and it gives him a warm feeling towards the female vampire to see her protective side towards Harry. It's been that way since Harry met her but only got more pronounced with his pregnancy. He idly wonders if Esme feels like a grandmother...

"I will, on both counts." He smiles when Esme pats a hand gently on Harry's head and doing the same to him before stepping back.

Joe nods his agreement and watches as Jake gently lifts Harry, settling him back into the comfortable chair. He briefly considers telling Jake to put him up in their bed but he knows Jake wants to go. Now. He follows Jake to the back yard and they strip as they make their way towards the trees, phasing the moment they're under cover.

 _Not gonna leave a note?_ Joe teases as soon as they head off in a fast run.

Jake looks over and sends a glare at Joe. _Shut up, if anyone should leave it's note it's you. I'm sure Draco will wonder where you're at._

Joe mentally chuckles and follows closely behind Jake, enjoying the chance to stretch and run as they speed off through the woods. They slow to an easy trot once they've reached the treeline behind Sam's house.

Jake nearly smacks his forehead when he realizes he forgot to bring Seth, too. Oh well, he doesn't need anyone but Joe if things get rough. Plus, he's a bit wary to know how Seth would react; the younger werewolf still likes to think they can get along with Sam's pack and this would probably crush his hopes and Jake doesn't want to be the one responsible for making Seth sad.

 _Think he knows we're here?_ Joe asks, looking up at the silent house.

 _Dunno,_ Jake says. He tries to send a message mentally but he really doesn't know if Sam will hear it. They don't have to wait long before Emily inches out the back door. _Shit_ , Jake growls. He doesn't want to bother Emily.

"Jake?" Emily calls, eyeing the large russet and creme wolves in her back yard with a slightly wary expression. She isn't scared of either wolf but she doesn't know how Jake feels towards her anymore. She's always liked Jake and it makes her sad Sam has been so stubborn about the man. Truth be told, she misses seeing the young man around her table.

She smiles, hoping Jake can see it. She's never gotten the chance to congratulate him on finding his imprint or his marriage. She tries not to feel sad she hasn't been able to meet Jake's imprint, impressed with the dark haired wizard just from the way the pack talks about him.

She sighs softly, knowing Jake would probably react badly if she got closer to speak to him. Not to mention Sam will be short with her.

"Sam'll be right down," she calls out, watching the russet and creme wolves as they appear to talk to each other.

 _Did you bring pants?_ Joe asks suddenly, turning his head to look at Jake with humor dancing in his dark brown eyes. He knows for a fact he left his clothes scattered by the trees.

Jake's shaggy head shakes. _No_ — _Oops._ He laughs, an amused growly sound that shakes his haunches, not at all bothered he'll be talking to Sam naked. It wouldn't be the first time they've talked with one or both of them naked. _Oh well,_ he muses, phasing back when he sees Sam step off the porch and head towards him.

"Sam."

"Jake," Sam says, ignoring Jake's nudity with practiced ease. "What's up?" he asks, turning so he's able to see Joe as well once the other man has phased.

Jake steps closer, unconcerned he might be putting Sam on the defensive. "Paul. I want him. Here. _Now_. We need to have words." He stands tall and crosses his arms over his chest, staring at Sam with an expression he hopes is blank.

Apparently it's not since Sam's eyebrows raise and he steps back.

"Alright, what about?" Sam says, pulling a battered cell phone from his pocket. He taps a quick text to Paul and slips it away without waiting for an answer; it isn't like he'll say no. Jake looks pissed, ready to tear someone's ass off pissed and he's curious as to why. Paul isn't a stranger to causing that reaction and he wonders when the idiot has had a chance to even see Jake recently.

"It'll be about 5 minutes."

Jake nods brusquely, ignoring Sam's question for a moment as he re-crosses his arms over his chest and adopts a patiently waiting pose. "I'll discuss it when he gets here," he finally says with an eye roll when Sam just keeps staring expectantly. The next few moments are tense but none of them break the silence, Joe and Jake both enjoying the look of growing apprehension on Sam's face.

Jake growls deep in his throat the moment he sees Paul, his lip lifting when the bastard has the nerve to smirk at him.

"What's up?" Paul asks, coming to a stop next to Sam and adopting an innocent expression. He can guess why Jake is standing in front of Sam, glaring death at him. He'd laugh at the mental image of Jake's bitch crying to him but he wisely blanks his face of any expression when Jake's glower darkens.

Jake takes a step forward, crowding Paul. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear your throat out," he growls lowly.

"Woah, woah, calm down, Jake! What's going on?" Sam rushes over and puts a hand on Jake's arm, scowling when he barely budges the other man and he's brushed off rudely.

He looks to Paul, not all that surprised to see him swallowing thickly while trying to look defiant. He wants to hang his head when he realizes Paul has done something incredibly stupid. He sighs quietly and steps back, allowing Jake his discussion with Paul.

Jake pokes a finger angrily into Paul's chest, smirking when he stumbles and his face pinches with pain. "He decided it would be a good idea to threaten Harry."

"What?" Sam asks, his eyes widening slightly as he stares incredulously at Paul. He doesn't like the little twerp anymore than Paul does but that doesn't mean they can go near the man in anything less than a friendly manner. "Tell me you didn't," he mutters to Paul, restraining the urge to smack him upside the head. Paul knows better.

Paul squares his shoulders, refusing to show fear (and probably a little remorse) under Jake's dark scowl. "I only _talked_ to the little freak, I didn't touch him," he mumbles and flinches when Jake surges forward, a fist raised. He bites his tongue on the urge to blubber apologies.

"Don't call him that," Jake growls, giving Joe a sidelong glance of acknowledgment at being restrained. He relaxes when he feels Joe's hands relax and rolls his shoulders. "So, a friendly discussion, was it?" Paul nods slowly, eyeing him warily. Good, he hopes the bastard pisses himself soon. "So, tell me what would have happened if Emmett and Jasper hadn't interfered?"

Paul winces and looks pleadingly at Sam, surprised his Alpha isn't stepping in. Sam now looks annoyed, probably at the mention of the leeches. "Nothing," he says, shrugging. He _probably_ wouldn't have done anything. "We were just talkin'."

"Who else was with you?" Jake demands, knowing Paul rarely went anywhere alone.

"Quil and Embry," Paul says, glowering darkly when Sam still stays quiet. He turns to his Alpha, restraining the urge to raise a hand and jab him with a finger. "Are you seriously going to just stand there with your thumb up your ass?" he asks, throwing a hand up and waving it angrily. Why isn't Sam defending him? He wants to sneer; Sam's probably just as scared of Jake as he is.

Sam nods, "I am. You know better than to threaten someone's imprint. It's against everything that is Pack." He ignores Paul's rage filled expression and spluttering and takes his phone out again, texting Quil and Embry.

"He's not in our pack!" Paul shouts, gesturing wildly towards Jake. "I didn't hurt the little bitch, so why the—"

Jake's fist flies, landing squarely on Paul's nose with a slick, wet crunch. Paul's head snaps back painfully. He pulls his fist back slowly, amused he barely felt a thing, just enough to clamp his hand tightly around Paul's neck. A malicious smile lights his face when Paul wheezes and fingers scrabble to try to loosen his hand when he squeezes ever-so-slightly.

"Don't call him that," he growls softly. He lets go with a push when Paul whimpers and nods, a hand coming up to cup his nose, his eyes watering furiously. A howl of pain comes from the man when he bumps his injured nose.

He looks up when Quil and Embry walk into the yard, both darting their eyes warily between the two groups. "What did Paul say to Harry?" he demands, looking at Quil.

"Uh..." Quil pauses, trying to remember the least offensive comment and looks to Sam. His shoulders slump when he gets a firm nod from his Alpha. "He just said the guy was on our land." He winces when everyone turns to stare at him with incredulous expression. "What? That's what he said."

Paul backs up when he's given an intense look from everyone, including Sam. "What?" he mumbles, his voice muffled from the hand still cupping his nose. "It's close enough to the rez to count," he explains. "Look, I'm not the only one here who would rather they all just fucked off," he defends, wincing as talking makes pain flair in his nose, fresh tears squirting out of both eyes.

"Be that as it may, deliberately instigating a fight isn't what anyone wants," Sam says slowly, eyeing Quil and noticing the man is staring at Jake oddly. He makes a mental note to ask why, since it doesn't appear to be one of irritation or disgust.

"I'm not sure I can do much if Jake decides to take action," he says quietly, shrugging when Paul's eyes widen with shock. "You know these things, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. Should I not let you take the consequences of your stupid actions?" he asks, his voice thick with disappointment.

Quil watches, unsure if he should say anything else. On one hand, Paul's (deserved) punishment will be worse should it be known he threatened a pregnant imprint. On the other, he really doesn't like the idea of his pack being aware of that should it be true. He looks to Jake and flinches at the fierce glare he's immediately pinned with. He doesn't know if Jake's mentioned it or not and he's truly torn.

"Jake?" he says softly, flinching again when Jake steps closer. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

"Alright," Jake says slowly. He turns and quickly walks off far enough where they won't be overheard. Quil hurriedly follows, trying to keep up with Jake's long, angry strides. "What?" he asks, turning quickly and taking Quil by surprise again. He'd probably be thrilled so see the werewolf practically quivering with fear if he isn't still simmering with barely subdued rage.

Quil's hands fidget and he can't seem to raise his head higher than Jake's chest, feeling a bit awkward staring at his nipples. He feels terrible he didn't stand up for Harry and even worse he's not let how serious the situation was be known.

"Is Harry... um, pregnant?" he finally asks, the words feeling weird in his mouth, daring a quick look into Jake's eyes. There isn't surprise but a dark look of anger that makes him avert his eyes again, quickly.

"Yes," Jake says tightly, watching Quil closely. "Did you know that earlier? You know, when you just stood back and let Paul push Harry around?" he says lowly, a growl in his words.

"I didn't know until he'd already gotten in his face!" Quil says quickly, grimacing at the lame excuse. He sighs, feeling like a real wimp. "I'm sorry, man, but you know how Paul is. I didn't want to get in the middle of that for... him." He dares a glance up and cringes at the dark look on Jake's face. He really won't blame Jake if he punched him; he deserves it. "I really am sorry. When I realized, I tried to get Paul to back off! Ask Embry."

Jake nods shortly. It's tempting to take his temper out on Quil, but he was a good friend at one point and he's finding it hard to just lash out. "Okay, so you didn't tell anyone else, I'm guessing?" Quil shakes his head sadly.

"How did you know?" he asks, wanting to know. He didn't really have a problem with the other pack knowing, actually he wanted to shout it proudly, but if it would be greeted with hostility and anger, he wants to know. Now. Anger simmers at the very idea that his husband and child would be in danger because of their stupidity and narrow minds.

"I saw him holding his stomach weird..."

Jake growls softly, his hands clenching. Harry does that frequently and he's reluctantly impressed Quil was able to sort out what it meant so easily. He's not all that surprised Embry or Paul hadn't noticed; both weren't all that quick or prone to taking in their environment.

"And will everyone be as big an asshole about that fact?"

"I don't know," Quil says honestly, voice quiet. "That's kinda the reason I didn't say anything, man. The very idea is so freakin' weird but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if someone hurt the guy. Or... your kid."

Jake backs away a few steps, truly tempted to do something painful to his one-time friend and grunts out a reply before heading back to the others. He's ready to just tear into something but takes a deep breath.

"Okay, so. Here's the deal; I won't rip you into pieces and you stay away from my pack. _Everyone._ We're not going anywhere so you better get over the idea of us leaving. This is our home as much as it is yours. You don't like it? Tough shit. I won't say this again, either," he says, his meaning clear when Sam and Paul both nod quickly.

"Sounds fair," Sam says immediately, throwing Paul a 'shut up' look when his mouth opens. Does the idiot not realize Jake has every right to defend his imprint? Judging by the rage he can literally smell wafting off Jake, Paul probably wouldn't come out of any fight alive. He isn't willing to go 'one big happy family' with Jake's pack, but he can agree to a truce of sorts and avoid them.

"We'll be sure to spread the word to the others."

Jake nods stiffly, his fingers aching from being clenched so tightly and walks away, not even caring he's giving them his back. "I wish I had been able to sink my teeth into that bastard," he mutters, resting against a tree and breathing harshly, shaking a little as the adrenaline ebbs away.

"Yeah, I don't know how you kept your cool but I guess it's a good thing," Joe says, watching Jake slowly calm down. "There a reason you didn't tell Sam about Harry being pregnant? That would have really made this serious."

Jake looks towards the still gathered group thoughtfully, briefly wondering what they were talking about but not really giving a shit. "I dunno, exactly. I just didn't. Quil figured it out and even he didn't say anything." He growls lowly, bearing his teeth briefly. "And how fucked up it that? Instead of sharing such happy news, I have to worry about their safety."

"I know, man," Joe says, clucking his tongue and shaking his head, patting Jake's shoulder. "It's screwed up." He looks to the still gathered group, his thoughts on his own pregnant husband. He can understand Jake's rage; he'd be just as bad if someone had done the same to Draco. Neither of their wizards are helpless, but they are definitely not up to going against a raging werewolf in their condition.

He grits his teeth and tries to refocus his thoughts. "Did you want to let Leah and Seth know?"

Jake nods, taking a deep breath and turning away. "Yeah, they should know," he says after a moment. He's going to fill them in on everything that happened anyway, but he doesn't look forward to either of their reactions. He wonders if he'll tell them not to rush over here to kick ass or not...

"I'd rather not have them be surprised if I ask them to take Harry somewhere."

"He probably won't like that," Joe chuckles.

Jake snorts. "I don't care. He's not goin' anywhere without a pack member or Emmett. Ever." He looks over when Joe snorts a loud laugh, nearly doubled over as he laughs. He rolls his eyes, aware how unlikely such a thing is. "Yeah, okay, just for now... Fuck, man," he says softly, his body shaking with delayed reactions. "I don't know what I would've done if Paul had done something."

"I know," Joe says, sobering quickly and lays a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder. "I don't think Harry woulda just rolled over and taken it, man, so don't tear yourself up about it, okay?"

Jake nods. He _knows_ that but it didn't do anything for the icy fear or the fiery rage that surges though him whenever he thinks about it. Even if Charlotte said a burst of magic wouldn't harm Harry or their daughter, he still would've happily skinned Paul for putting them in danger.

"Yeah, but you get what I'm saying?" Joe nods, very aware. Jake nods back, knowing Joe is the only other person that's able to _get it_. "I'll be fine once I calm down."

"Ugh," Joe mutters, trying to ignore the leer on Jake's face. He'd almost feel bad for Harry if he isn't sure the wizard enjoys calming Jake down. " _So_ more than I needed to know," he jokes and phases, smacking Jake with a heavy paw when he gets a vivid image of Harry. Thankfully, Jake is too muych of a prude (and a little possessive) to actually show his mate naked, but it's enough.

~oOo~

"Ha!" Harry crows triumphantly. "I knew it!" he says, bouncing happily and laughing at Remus and Nigel's blushing faces.

Remus clears his throat and manages a smile, mostly enjoying Harry's obvious delight. "Yes, well. It really was the only logical course of action."

"Logical course of action? Oh, you sweet talker, you," Nigel says, rolling his eyes and mocking a swoon. He chuckles and rests his head on Remus' shoulder, rubbing a hand soothingly down his arm. "Well, regardless of the reason, I'm just thrilled you finally asked," he says honestly, his thumb running over the simple gold band on his left ring finger as he smiles widely, unable to help it. Remus asking him to marry him was a surprise but a very welcomed one.

Remus smiles and kisses the top of Nigel's head, rolling his eyes when Harry squeaks like a caffeinated fan-girl. "Harry, please."

"Oh shut up!" Harry says, feeling his eyes water with happiness. "I'm just so excited and happy for you both! Have you set a date? Or place?" he asks, bouncing on his toes again, his tears already drying up in his excitement. "You do know you're welcome to do it here."

Remus nods and shares a look with Nigel. "Yes, we're aware of that. We already figured you'd butt in and insist," he says playfully, grinning when Harry glares at him. "And we haven't set a date just yet..." he trails off, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He couldn't think of a particularity significant date. "Early June alright with you?" he asks, looking at Nigel with a gentle, loving look. He's still feeling a bit disconnected from reality; Nigel said yes and he barely manages not to grin stupidly and pinch himself to make sure he's not dreaming.

"Sure," Nigel says, shrugging.

Harry gasps, "NO!"

"Why not?" Remus asks, looking at Harry with surprise.

Harry fidgets, feeling rather selfish. "It's just... really close to my due date," he says, feeling his cheeks warm. He really doesn't want to miss the ceremony or chance going into labor half-way through it.

"Oh," Remus says, chuckling at Harry's sheepish expression. "Merlin forbid we plan _our_ bonding ceremony for a time _you_ can't make it." He pauses when Harry's eyes water, his chin trembling, and sighs softly. "I'm only kidding, cub," he says softly, hoping to sooth the crying wizard. "I have no problem changing things a bit so you can be there. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Harry sniffles and rushes over to hug Remus, feeling rather silly but needing the comfort. He sighs when he feels arms circle him reassuringly and peeks over at Nigel apologetically. "I'm sorry," he whispers, feeling even more selfish he hadn't even considered the other man for a moment.

"It's really alright," Nigel says, gently patting Harry's arm. He's fond of the young man himself and doesn't blame Remus for taking him into account for 'their' day. Remus thinks of Harry as cub as much as he does Teddy, so naturally he'd want to ensure the young man would be there. Giving birth isn't really a selfish reason, regardless of what Harry's thinking. "Late June sound better?"

Harry nibbles his bottom lip and sits up, regretfully breaking Remus' comforting hold on him. "Erm, how about May?" he asks after a moment. He doesn't exactly look forward to sitting through a bonding ceremony heavily pregnant but the idea of attending with a newborn is slightly less appealing.

"Harry, that's not even weeks away."

Harry sniffles and nods sadly. "I know, but it's not like you need lots of time to plan! I mean, the guest list comes over weekly for dinner and you only have to make sure the little official wizard bloke is available."

"True," Remus concedes, trying not to laugh. "Well, we have a lot to discuss, we'll let you know, yeah?"

Harry nods and carefully stands, hugging Remus and Nigel muttering 'Congratulations' softly, before rushing from the room.

"Well, that was fun," Nigel says, leaning against Remus and getting comfortable when Remus wraps an arm around him. "I honestly don't care when we get married, you know. Any day is fine with me," he says, tracing a finger in random patters on Remus' knee.

Remus hums, grateful Nigel isn't upset at Harry basically hijacking their plans. He really doesn't mind. "I know he's due early June, but who knows when he'll actually deliver." He hums thoughtfully again, closing his eyes and leans his head back as he thinks. "How about July? Early July. It'll be warmer but hopefully nicer."

Nigel just nods and settles more comfortably against Remus' side. He doesn't care, he's going to be bonded to his werewolf so any other details were unimportant. Teddy had reacted much like Harry, he remembers with a soft chuckle. Louder, but just as happily and bouncing around hugging them tightly. He already has adoption papers ready and he hopes to get them filed before they bond.

He sighs happily and closes his eyes, soothed by Remus' warmth and soft caresses along his neck and shoulder.

~oOo~

Harry jumps when he hears the doorbell, nearly dropping the paper-mache bunny in his hands. He rights the bunny, an adorable craft-thing Teddy made in his pre-school class for Easter. He still doesn't quite get the holiday, but there's chocolate involved so he's fully embraced the celebration. He grins as he waddles towards the front door, his belly leading the way. He runs a hand over the large bump and chuckles when he feels a fluttery kick against his palm.

He barely pauses to wonder who would be knocking—everyone he knows is keyed into the wards, so he really doesn't bother. He opens the door and his eyes widen and he belatedly realizes he shouldn't have answered the door. He makes an embarrassing squeaking noise and tries to hide behind the door.

"Angela?!"

"Hi, Harry!" Angela says brightly, still a bit dazed but smiling brightly nonetheless. She turns slightly, mostly out of nerves for being left to greet Harry on her own. Sure, he's friendly but she doesn't know him that well. "How're you?" she asks, a finger circling a clump of hair nervously.

Harry panics, patting himself down for his wand. He quietly curses, remembering it's in a drawer and that he can't use magic. He's let a Muggle see him! A very obviously pregnant man! He pauses when he realizes Angela looks surprised, pleased really, but not shocked or anything that would lead him to believe she'd been completely stunned by the visual.

He leans forward and bit and grins with both relief and happiness. "Hi!" he finally says back, his attention back on Angela. He rests his hand on top of his bump and leans against the doorway. "So, a warning would have been nice."

"I know, right?" Angela agrees, rolling her eyes playfully and smiling. "Greg thought this would be more fun," she says dryly, shifting in place as Natalie comes bounding over in her frilly Easter dress. "I hope I didn't scare you," she says softly, realizing Harry looked positively ashen for a moment. "I really wanted to call or something, but _someone_ took my phone," she says, playfully glaring at Natalie.

Natalie holds up the slim device and giggles, giving it back. "Sorry, Angela," she chirps. "I was smashing pigs!" she announces to Harry, going on her tiptoes and giving him a tight hug around his knees.

She looks up, her head tilting all the way back so she can see past the big bump blocking her view of Harry. "Did you remember to hide eggs?" she asks.

Since moving to America, Natalie has decreed herself the Official Expert in many things. After Seth told her all about the upcoming holiday, she's been making sure uncle Harry and uncle Jake got everything just right.

"Yup," Harry says with a chuckle, ruffling Natalie's curls. He goes into full out laughter when the little girl squawks indignantly and runs into the house, wailing for uncle Draco to fix her hair. He notices Greg finally step up next to Angela, a sheepish, but amused, grin on his face. "So, had your chuckle for the week, have you?"

Greg nods. "Something like that. She knew about it," he says, gaze darting to Harry's prominent belly. It's quite a sight, he recently only saw Harry with a glamour over the his belly. He's surprised he wants to touch it but he doesn't know how Harry will react to that.

"Obviously. We haven't had a chance to stop by and see you," he says sheepishly, shifting with guilt. They'd visited sparingly over the past month or so, and he'd only told Angela about magic last week. She'd been surprised but not as much as he feared.

"Sure," Harry says with a snort. They'd been dating for all of five weeks. He could understand... but on the other hand, he's missed them both. "So, it's serious then?" he asks, stepping back and waving them inside. He follows them into the living room and sinks into an overstuffed chair with a blissful sigh.

Angela nods, a bright smile on her face. "Yes," she says and plops herself in Greg's lap once he sits on the sofa opposite Harry.

"I know it seems sudden—"

Harry snorts and waves a hand dismissively, cutting off Greg's attempt to explain. "Bullocks," he says with a grin. "No one here is going to judge you on how quickly you moved," he says sincerely. "If you felt it was the right thing to do, we're fine." He's mostly referring to Angela being a Muggle and told about magic, but also about the pack.

He looks to the still smiling estate agent. "Are you really that alright with _everything_?"

"Yes," Angela says seriously, a hand cupping the back of Greg's neck, absently playing with the fine hairs there. "I figured _some_ thing weird was going on. It was a bit of a surprise to realize what that _was_ , though." She leans forward and drops her voice slightly, "I'm really, _really_ glad I was able to locate those houses even more now."

Harry grins back at Angela. "I had no idea you two had even met each other," he says, eyeing the unlikely looking couple. Angela, even in her customary 6-inch heels, barely came up to Greg's armpit. He doesn't say anything though, well aware he's about the same with Jake, feeling only slightly smug he's up to Jake's shoulder, though. He wants to coo adorably when they share a sappy, slightly heated, look. By the way Greg's holding onto Angela's waist, he wonders how soon they'll be announcing an engagement.

"Oh yeah," Angela says, leaning back into Greg's chest. She wiggles, settling herself more comfortably, and winks over her shoulder when Greg's arm tightens both to comfort and in warning. She nearly giggles but decides to be good, not wanting to embarrass Greg by turning him on in front of Harry. "I showed the whole group around." She'd been drawn to the tall man even then. And his adorable daughter.

Harry nods absently. That makes sense. Even if he'd seen the couple a few times, it was always so crowded and noisy he hadn't had a moment to be nosy. "And... Natalie?" he asks, trying to keep the protective tone from his voice. He didn't, if the warm smile from Greg is any indicator.

"I adore her," Angela says sincerely. She feels Greg nodding along and she plants a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. "And she seems to like me well enough."

Greg laughs, absently twirling a few blonde strands around his index finger. A habit he's gotten into whenever Angela perched herself on his lap. "Well enough," he repeats with an amused snort. "She adores you, as well." He turns to Harry and smiles warmly. "She's even called her 'mum'," he says, sounding proud and more than a little smitten.

"Really?" Angela breathes, her hand fluttering up to rest over her heart. She blinks rapidly, feeling herself tear up. "Oh my..." She sniffles quietly when Greg nods. It should probably scare her to become so attached so quickly but she can't manage to. Natalie is absolutely precious and everything she'd want in a daughter. "That's so sweet. She's never said it to me."

Greg nods again, gently tucking a few errant strands of hair behind Angela's ear. "No, she ran in asking me something about 'mum' and before I could give her the gentle reminder, I realized she meant you. She wanted to borrow your pink shoes," he explains with a grin. "Which, by the way, is never going to happen."

"Of course not," Angela says, sniffing daintily in a way that's reminiscent of Draco or Rosalie. Those shoes cost her way too much to even consider letting even Natalie play around with. "She'll scuff them," she says with a half-serious gasp of horror. She glares playfully when she only gets blank looks, neither male getting a woman's shoes are more than just things to stick on one's feet. Men, she thinks with a mental eye roll.

Harry grins and shakes his head fondly, leaning back into the comfortable chair with a soft sigh. "So, you must be nutty enough to join our family if the news didn't send you screaming to the nearest asylum," he says teasingly to Angela, chuckling when she gives him a wide-eyed look.

"Oh, I was tempted," Angela says, nodding seriously. "Honestly," she stresses when Harry looks at her like she's kidding. "I adapted well enough, I suppose. I'm still getting used to some things," she says and stares openly at Harry's belly. "I didn't know what to think when Greg told me about it all." She shrugs and gives Greg another chaste kiss. "I accepted it if it means continuing being a part of their lives."

Harry sniffles, not even bothering trying to stem the emotional response. He plucks a tissue from his pocket, after leaning awkwardly in his chair to reach said pocket, and dabs at his wet eyes and cheeks. "Sorry, but that's just so sweet."

He grins and crumples the tissue in his palm, tears forgotten. "Have you met everyone?" he asks, trying to remember who's been here the few times Greg and Angela visited. He huffs when he draws a blank.

"Yes, I believe so."

Harry can't help laughs. "Even Leah?"

"Oh, yeah. We've met," Angela says brightly. The response obviously confuses Harry and she laughs. "We get along great, honestly. She drags poor Neville over frequently when Seth and Gloria visit."

It has become a weekly occasion (well, only two in a row so far, but she knows it will continue into a full-fledged tradition) for them all to have dinner together. She thought she'd get frustrated or feel smothered with so many people around so often but she truly enjoys the sense of family and love they bring. She also knows the group comes to this house twice a week for dinner, as well. The idea isn't nearly as daunting as it had been when Greg first brought it up. She's already getting comfortable with suddenly being involved with such a large family.

Harry laughs. "Drags him from the garden, you mean."

"Exactly," Angela nods with a smile. "More often than not, Natalie sends him to the powder room to properly wash his hands."

Harry laughs again. "I can see that." Natalie is quite the character and takes it upon herself, frequently, to help others stay in line. "Well, you lot are the first to arrive. I was hoping Esme would be first, she offered to help with the food." He refuses to be kept from the kitchen but he never turns down Esme's cooking talents.

"Oh! I can help!" Angela says and jumps up from Greg's lap, rushing over to Harry to help him stand when he struggles. "Don't even say it," she says when Harry looks ready to mutter a disparaging comment about his weight or some other such nonsense.

Harry rolls his eyes but nods, finally getting up from the chair with Angela's help. He quickly learned to swallow his pride and allow people to help him stand these days. It's more embarrassing to struggle like a beached turtle than get a helping hand. "Thanks, I do appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Harry," Angela says, trying not to roll her eyes. Like she'd just stand there while he struggled? She has nieces and nephews, she's been around pregnant family members before. "So, where's everyone else?" she asks, mostly referring to the others that actually live here.

Harry shuffles into the kitchen and heads right for the fridge, attacking a cluster of grapes. "Work and shopping," he says quickly, getting back to his grapes, humming happily as he chews. "Jake should be home shortly but I have no idea how long Draco is going to keep poor Joe out shopping. The man can't say no to the git," he says with an eye roll, voice slightly muffled by grapes.

"As well he shouldn't," Angela says with a snicker. "Even I know Draco has a temper, I can only imagine it fueled by hormones."

Harry rolls his eyes again as he nods, tossing the empty grape vine into the trash. "You'd think he's the first person, ever, to be pregnant. He's a bloody baby about everything. Well, at least when Joe is around," he amends with a laugh. Joe, the poor bloke, spends most of his free-time catering to Draco's every whim. He might say something to help out but Joe always looks very willing and eager to do what he can. It's nauseatingly adorable, really. "Otherwise, he's quite reasonable."

"Wow," Angela says, staring at the rounded belly again. "I don't mean to stare— It's just..."

Harry chuckles, nodding knowingly. "Odd. I know. Imagine my surprise to learn it as well."

"Oh my god!" Angela says, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I can only imagine," she says with a giggle. She reaches a hand out, tentatively. "Can I?"

Harry nods and shuffles closer. "Sure, just don't be surprised if Jake glares at you later," he says as Angela reaches out. He doesn't want to mention that Jake will be able to smell her on him, not wanting to scare her or keep her from touching. He's gotten used to the cooing and gentle hands on his belly. "He's getting rather... protective lately."

He nearly rolls his eyes at the understatement. Jake hasn't gone quite so far as to completely isolate him, locking him in some tower like a fairy tale maiden, but he wouldn't be at all surprised if the idea has crossed his husband's mind, though. "Really, it's alright, I can still talk him down," he assures with a smile. He tilts his belly a bit so her hand lands on the side more and smiles as Angela's eyes widen with surprised joy.

"That is so... Wow," Angela says, feeling a nudge against her palm.

It's one thing to see Harry _look_ pregnant but another to feel it. She didn't exactly think Greg had been lying about the whole thing, but it had been hard to grasp. She smiles softly at Harry, it suited him though; he just seems the 'motherly' type.

"So, why the big bad Alpha act?" she asks, looking up. Out of habit, she has kicked her shoes off, for some reason getting into the habit around the children and other short people.

Harry rolls his eyes and reaches over enough to grab another bundle of grapes without having Angela move. "The whole 'pregnant mate' thing. It just makes his instincts go crazy. Or harder to ignore... Either way? I can't really blame him, even though it's a bit much at times. I don't really go anywhere anymore, but that's not Jake's idea," he adds quickly when Angela's eyebrows start to draw together in a disapproving frown. "No, it's my idea. I'd need to glamour this," he says and points to his belly, "but I'm still concerned someone would bump into me or something."

He pauses and nibbles his bottom lip for a moment as he thinks. "He's not crazy about large groups, even if it's the pack. So far, the only people he doesn't automatically glare at are Remus, Draco, Teddy and Natalie."

"Why's that?" Angela asks, moving her hand a bit to see if she can feel another nudge and giggling happily when she does. "I get the kids, but..."

"Remus is like my dad, I guess," Harry says after a moment. "He's the least worrisome person to him. Draco, I think, because he's also pregnant and bonded. Not someone he feels at all threatened by. He's almost as protective of the git, if you can believe it. He's alright with most women, but since he doesn't know you that well—" He shrugs, an apologetic smile on his face. "He'll get over it, you'll be around a lot more," he says, winking.

It's not exactly a request, more how it's just going to be, and by the way Angela giggles with a nod, she knows it.

Angela regretfully pulls away and looks around the spacious kitchen. "So, where do we start?"

"Haven't the foggiest," Harry says brightly, carefully perching himself on a padded stool. "I don't know the first thing about this holiday dinner thing."

Angela rolls her eyes playfully and checks the fridge. "Well, someone went shopping," she says, eyes wide. The commercial sized fridge was packed with food. "Wow."

"Yeah, the pack eats a lot," Harry says, chuckling. Seth is quite reminiscent of a bottomless pit but everyone else seems to have leveled off to almost normal appetites, but they still eat more than he's seen even Ron pack away.

Angela nearly smacks her forehead. She's never made this much food before and she feels a bit like a bad hostess to realize she might have sent guests home still hungry. She wants to be annoyed none of them had said anything but honestly, who would? "I hadn't any idea," she says softly. "Well, I'm guessing all of this?" she asks, waving a hand vaguely at all of the food.

"No, not all of it," Harry says thoughtfully. "I think Esme got the hams, turkeys, and the roast for today though." He nods when Angela peeks around the door at him, eyes wide. "Yup!" he says, popping the 'p'. "I know, but they'll finish it all and maybe even still want more," he says with a grin. "I think it's the fast metabolism," he says, offering an explanation.

"So, we can leave this until Esme or Leah get here, if you want?" he offers, noticing Angela's dubious expression. He could easily cook all of the food, but he doesn't like being on his feet that long. Even with Jake's fantastic foot massages, it'll be too horrible to contemplate. "We really don't have to worry about starting anything for at least another hour."

Angela squares her shoulders, staring at the numerous packages of meat. "No, we can do this."

Harry nods and smiles brightly. "That's the attitude," he says, sliding off the stool and going over to help pull things from the fridge. "Well, the good news is there aren't left-overs to deal with."

Angela laughs, shaking her head, and starts to peel the plastic from various trays of meat. She jumps when a loud booming laugh fills the kitchen and squeaks softly when a massive, gorgeous guy rushes over and man-handles Harry into a hug, his large pale hands briefly rubbing over his bump with gentle, affectionate touches. "Oh!"

"Hi!" Emmett says, extending a hand towards the small blonde woman gaping up at him. "I'm Emmett," he says, eyeing her briefly. "You're..." he trails off, waiting for her shock to wear off enough to introduce herself. She just stands there, head tilted back, blinking. "Uh." He looks to Harry with a questioning expression. "Uh oh, should I have not come in here?" he asks sheepishly, worried he's scared the poor woman still starting at him with wide eyes.

It's been quite some time since he's seen a normal human, he's almost forgotten how they react towards him.

Harry shrugs and waves a hand in front of Angela's face. "Angela?" he asks softly.

"Oh!" Angela says again, jumping and backing up a step. She'd been told about the vampires and it's quite obvious the massive but adorably sexy being in front of her is one of them. "You're a vampire!" she whispers, feeling a bit silly when Emmett chuckles at her, a dimple marring his pale, gorgeous face as he smiles brightly. What a dumb thing to say... Oddly enough, Emmett is probably the perfect vampire for her to meet first, his goofy dimpled grin setting her at ease, even with his massive height. Which she's used to, being with Greg.

Emmett nods slowly, noit wanting to scare the poor woman anymore than he already has. "Yeah, there are a few of us here today..."

"Really?" Angela breathes, interest taking over any fear she might have initially felt. She knows they aren't going to snack on her but there's still a niggle in the back of her mind warning her off. It's a bit unsettling, really. Looking into merrily twinkling amber eyes has her calming and smiling back.

"I'm Angela," she finally says.

Emmett nods again, grinning widely. "Hi, nice to meetcha Angela." He looks between Harry and Angela, finally aware the human is no longer afraid of him. "Yeah, Rosie and Alice will be by later but right now it's just Esme, Carlisle, Jasper and me. Alice will drive you crazy, but that's the worst of it."

"I've heard about Alice!" Angela says happily, restraining the urge to clap and bounce like Natalie does. She's looking forward to meeting the small vampire, always having a 'thing' for befriending people her size. It's probably one of the reasons she gets along so well with Harry. He isn't exactly as short as she is, but he's one of the shortest people in the group besides Luna—another friendly face she's getting to know and like. "I look forward to meeting you all," she says, smiling.

Emmett just nods and points to the food. "Need a hand? I'm here to offer my services," he says, bowing with a flourish. He's used to being put to work by Esme and Harry, learning quite a bit about culinary arts in the past few weeks. "Really," he says when Angela gives him an incredulous look. "Sure, I don't eat it but I can cook like the next Wolfgang Puck," he says grinning smugly. "And lift the heavy things," he says, eyeing the large pieces of meat.

He grins when he's given numerous tasks and quickly gets to work, chatting amiably with the bubbly Angela as Harry perches on his stool issuing orders and snacking on more grapes.

~oOo~

"Ugh," Harry groans, lightly scratching his nails in circles around his belly. "Remind me why I insist having everyone come over again?" he huffs. He feels completely drained after being around so many people, even if he does enjoy the controlled chaos.

Jake snorts but doesn't answer, adding his nails into the scratching instead, shifting to a more comfortable position when Harry moans with relief. He's not about to contradict Harry or try to change his mind about the large gatherings. Sure, they make him a bit twitchy these days but he wouldn't give them up for anything and he knows Harry enjoys them.

"Because you love it," he finally says after Harry lets out another long, pleased sigh of relief. "And it's really not _that_ bad..." he trails off, feeling a bit like a pervert for getting turned on. It's not exactly a sex moan, but it's close enough to have him perking up.

" _Not that bad?_ You do realize I walked in on Joe bending Draco over a desk in the den? Then not five minutes later, Seth and Gloria practically fall out of a closet, almost naked, when I went to get the other bunny Teddy made."

He wasn't exactly traumatized, more amused than anything, and only grateful he hadn't seen more of Greg or Neville, grateful they had a bit more control of their hormones and hadn't molested their women in his house.

"I mean, a closet? Really? There _are_ spare rooms!"

Jake chuckles, the mystery of a suddenly aroused Harry pinning him against a wall earlier solved. He has no idea how to feel about either sight turning on Harry and he really can't decide which couple he hoped was the cause. It's a bit awkward either way, really.

"Aw, poor baby," he coos, rubbing Harry's belly soothingly. His hands pause and his eyes widen. "I— That is so amazing," he whispers, feeling fluttery kicks against his palms. He's felt it before but it hasn't failed to amaze him yet.

"Well, she likes your voice," Harry says, leaning back and tucking a hand behind his head. "She always goes mental when she hears you," he says, rubbing a hand along the side of his belly. He winces slightly with a particularly hard kick and snorts when Jake's eyes widen with delight.

"Say something," he instructs.

Jake blinks, feeling a bit silly talking to Harry's belly but gets comfy anyway. "Okay. Uh... well, it was fun today. You'll like Easter, I think, if you're anything like your mom and inhale chocolate like a little Hoover."

"Oi! I am _not_ a mum!" Harry grouses, glaring down at Jake, trying to keep a hold of his annoyance with the adorable image of Jake cuddling against his side and talking to his bump. "I am a _man_ , thankyouverymuch," he points out with a raised eyebrow.

He bites off a string of obscene words, not wanting to speak such a way now that he knows his daughter can hear him. It's probably silly but he can't help himself.

Jake grins. "Oh, I know you are," he says and briefly palms Harry's crotch and chuckles when Harry arches into his hand with a quick arch of his hips. "I heard Hermione say it and it sorta stuck, sorry." He shrugs apologetically. He thinks it's rather cute, even if it appears to piss off his husband. He thinks it suits Harry, in a way. "I heard Draco saying it, too, so I think it's... well, I doubt it'll go away," he finishes.

"Great," Harry mutters. "I'm going to be called 'mum' now. Ugh," he mumbles, thoroughly annoyed. He isn't a damn woman! "I swear, I'm ripping his bits off if he says it."

Jake just nods, wisely dropping the 'mom' issue and kisses Harry's belly. "Anyway—" he continues, getting comfortable.

Harry just watches, smiling softly as Jake carries on a one-sided conversation with his belly. He closes his eyes, soothed by Jake's voice and the gentle kicks tapping his belly and hitting Jake's hot-warm hand occasionally, and lets his mind drift.

Names... he hasn't brought up the subject yet but they can't avoid it much longer.

He wonders if he should be more apprehensive about the near future but he's not, he's so ready to start their family and finally get his 'fairy tale' ending. He drifts off still smiling, Jake's voice and solid warmth soothing.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Again, I used Google Translate, so please forgive any terrible/grammatically horrific translations._
> 
> _Thank you!_

Harry settles against the lounge chair and looks up at the full moon. The star studded sky is dimmed by the bright moon. He shivers and pulls the thick fleece blanket tighter around his shoulders as he takes a long sip of his steaming hot chocolate.

"I thought I'd find you out here," Draco says as he settles himself into the chair next to Harry. He tries not to grunt or puff, but he does. It's nearly impossible not too as he maneuvers his growing belly. He watches Harry stare up at the full moon, a hand slowly rubbing his own belly and he looks up too.

He idly wonders if Harry is missing Jake as much as he's missing Joe. Not that he'd admit it. He's not feeling overly proud, for once, but he doesn't want to make either of them start bawling with the reminder or have either of their husbands rethink their new hobby.

As much as he misses his Joe, he doesn't begrudge him this time.

Harry hums, looking over at Draco briefly. He draws his blanket tighter, wondering why Draco didn't bring one. It's a chilly night and neither of them can cast a warming charm. "You're not cold?" he finally asks. He's concerned, of course, but not enough to offer his blanket up (or offer to share—Draco is a notorious blanket hog).

"No," Draco says, tetchy. He hates hormones! He frequently feels like he's being roasted from the inside anymore. It sucks the most when he just wants to snuggle up with Joe, but his wolf runs warm and it makes for very sweaty snuggling. Which is fine and dandy after a nice shagging but not when he's roasting internally. It's bloody frustrating to want to scamper away and snuggle in closer at the same time.

He eyes the tight grip Harry has on his blanket and smiles with a shake of his head. He knows the other man wouldn't give it up, but he'd probably share... not that they'd both fit in the chair.

"How long have you been out here?"

Harry shrugs. He hadn't been able to focus on TV and he likes the fresh air. "Maybe an hour," he says, smiling softly when a few wolf howls can be heard in the distance. He wishes he can tell who's who by howl alone. "I'll go in soon," he says, rubbing his belly. His back is starting to twinge and it's going past 'annoying' and into 'painful'. He sighs quietly; he really wants a long, hot bath.

He looks back to the woods and smiles. He loves that the pack runs with Remus on the full moon now. Between the pack and the Wolfsbane, Remus didn't lock himself away any longer. He absently wipes at the tears on his face; he always cries when he thinks about how happy Remus is now. He hasn't seen Remus look so relaxed and at peace in... well, ever.

"I need to pee," he says aloud, feeling the urge to share. He didn't mean to say it aloud but he doesn't care. It's not like it's shocking news.

"Thanks for sharing, Potter," Draco says dryly.

He snorts a moment later, amused despite himself. Harry is nearly 8 months pregnant and his belly is huge. Not that he tells Harry that... only Jake can say it and not have Harry break into hysterics (or threaten people with a dark look of anger). He finds it adorable, personally. Most times he has to look away when Harry waddles around, refusing to give into the fit of giggles that want to bubble up at the sight.

He thinks Harry is quite suited the look, not that he shares that either. He wants to keep his bits attached, thankyouverymuch.

Mostly in an effort to keep from lauging, he clears his throat gently. "Are they all with him?" he asks, looking towards the trees, after a long, comfortable silence.

Harry nods. "Yeah, even Leo," he says with a chuckle.

He hasn't seen Leo in awhile and he had been stunned to see how big the cat had gotten. Leo is now the size of a medium sized dog. He still rides around on Leah's wolf, too. It had been very amusing to see him streaking out after the pack and nimbly leap onto Leah's shoulder as soon as she had phased, just before the pack disappeared into the trees. If he listens hard enough, he's quite sure he can hear Leo's fierce growling meow amidst the wolf howls, barks and yips.

"Really?" Draco asks, his eyes widening. "Wow." He doesn't know if the feline is part of the pack in some bizarre way or just accepted as Leah's pet or something. Still, it's oddly adorable to imagine. And it's probably the stupid hormones that make the whole thing adorable...

"So," he muses, rubbing his own belly in soothing circles before lightly scratching. "Any more thoughts on names?"

They'd found out a few weeks ago they were expecting a boy. He hadn't wanted to know but Joe did. His husband had solemnly promised not to say anything to him but he had told Seth. The blabbermouth wanker. It only took a little over a week before the younger werewolf had blurted it out in his earshot. He hadn't been that pissed. For long. Now, he finds himself thinking about names.

Harry slowly shakes his head. He feels just as stuck. Jake isn't any help, just happy to go with whatever he picked. Useless tit. "I haven't a clue, mate."

He turns as much as he can when he hears the door slide open and smiles when he sees a sleepy Teddy shuffle out, rubbing his eyes as he stumbles over like a zombie. "Hey Teddy," he says quietly, adjusting his blanket and helping the little boy crawl onto his lap and carefully settle around his belly.

It's not easy but Teddy has gotten the hang of it, enjoying the way he can sprawl around Harry's belly and feel the baby kick. He absently rubs Teddy's back, sighing happily.

"Dad back yet?" Teddy mumbles, his face pressed against Harry's belly. He giggles sleepily when he feels something press against his cheek. He pokes back, giggling again when he's kicked again. Harder. He sneaks a look up and relaxes when it doesn't appear to have hurt Uncle Harry.

He tucks his thumb into his mouth, glad the blanket is hiding his face so neither adult will scold him for it. He misses his dad but he is happy he can run with the other wolves. His dad kept Moony cooped up for too long and it was really nice to know there's a pack to run with.

Harry gently rubs Teddy's back, pretending not to notice the boy's thumb in his mouth. "Nope, he'll be back in the morning," he reminds softly.

After a few moments he feels Teddy's body relax with sleep and tucks the blanket around him more securely. He idly wonders if Nigel is around and shrugs, not-so-secretly glad to have Teddy here with him instead. Teddy loves Nigel (and vise versa) and he's sure Teddy is only out here because he was hoping to see his dad.

Draco pouts at Harry's lack of answers to his question and just looks out into the trees, smiling when he hears another howl in the distance. Even from here, he can tell it's an excited, happy sound even if he doesn't know which wolf made it. He thinks it's Seth, though. Even as a wolf he's happy, good-natured and excitable.

His thoughts wander back around... Names.

"Do you think it's a bad idea to use my father's name?" he finally asks, his voice quiet and almost shy, peeking over at Harry from the corner of his eye.

He knows Harry doesn't have a high opinion of his father. But he still loves the bastard (in his own way); he is his father, after all. He knows Harry respects that (especially since they've become friends), which he appreciates.

"No," Harry says, looking up from Teddy's sleeping face and giving Draco a small, sincere smile. It isn't a secret he dislikes Lucius Malfoy but the man is Draco's father. "I know you've had your differences but he's still your dad."

Draco nods thoughtfully, flashing a quick grateful smile, his hand back to rubbing his belly softly. Joe had said the same thing, even if he did make a funny face at the name 'Lucius', claiming it sounded 'too snobby'. His counter-offer of naming a girl 'Lucy' hadn't been at all amusing.

Well, that's what he _said_ but he had to sneak off to have a giggle fit in private, secretly quite amused. He likes the idea, if only because he knows his father would hate it— his name being butchered, for a _girl_.

"I'd rather name him after Joe," he says, looking at his bulge with a proud, happy smile.

"So, do both," Harry says, rolling his eyes. "You've got, like, a dozen names, so can your kid. Joseph Lucius Hyperion Harry Malfoy," he says, waving a hand in front of him in demonstration, like the name is printed on an invisible marquee. "Sounds quite distinguished," he teases.

Draco sniffs, annoyed he wants to laugh, and wishes he could hop up and smack Harry senseless. Git. "Well, leaving out the obviously horrendous choices," he says dryly, glaring at Harry. "It does, though," he says after a moment of thought. "Joseph Lucius Malfoy," he says quietly, like he testing the name out.

"What about you?" he asks, turning to Harry. He's expecting 'Lily' and he smiles despite the complete sappiness of it.

"I dunno. I like Sarah."

"Yeah?"

"It's Jake's mum's name," Harry explains, looking down at Teddy briefly and gently swiping a few errant strands of blue hair away from his forehead. "I know you were expecting Lily," he grins cheekily. And he had considered it. It isn't like they're only going to have one child, though.

Draco scoffs but nods. "Well, yeah. Did Jake not like it?"

"He didn't say," Harry shrugs. "We haven't talked about it seriously."

"You realize you're ready to pop, yes? At any moment?" Draco asks, tone both amused and annoyed. How had Harry not learned how to plan ahead yet? Daft git.

Harry chuckles and rolls his eyes. "I'm aware," he says dryly, rubbing a hand over his very prominent belly. "We're keeping it open, in case we change our minds. I mean, I'd hate to be set on 'Lily' and come to find she's not a 'Lily' once we meet her."

"Oh," Draco says, reluctantly smitten with the way Harry phrased it. "Good point," he finally says. He isn't changing the name he's decided on. "Merlin, where's Luna?" he mumbles suddenly. As if summoned, the blonde witch skips outside and stops between their chairs.

Luna winks at Draco's wide-eyed look of surprise. She's gotten used to helping the blonde wizard by now, essentially being his 'genie' since he is restricted on using magic. She doesn't mind, though. Draco, surprisingly, never gets bossy or asks for anything too silly.

"Yes, Draco?" she sing-songs, bouncing on her toes.

"Luna! You wonderful woman!" Draco beams. "I need tea. And chocolate chip biscuits." He watches as Luna skips off. "Oh! And don't forget some for Harry," he calls just before Luna is out of earshot. A cheerful giggle lets him know Luna heard him. "Any idea how long they'll be out?"

Harry shrugs and resituates Teddy, shifting a little knee out of his bladder and sighing with relief when the pressure is reduced. "Probably until the moon sets." This is only the second full moon the pack has joined Remus in his 'free range' isolation; the first being such a big success he nearly smacked himself for not recommending it sooner.

Remus had been a nervous wreck, convinced he'd be a danger, and only calming when Jake went all Alpha on him and practically ordered him to calm down and behave. And Remus' complete trust in the Muggle repelling wards Hermione, Neville and Luna cast soothed him as well. It's a huge area to run and hunt in and the pack had come back tired, happy and at peace.

Harry's sure it'll become a regular thing.

"I'm not sure," he says, answering vaguely again. Either way, he probably won't be able to sleep until Jake is snuggled up behind him. Not only does it sooth him but their daughter as well. Somehow. His husband's presence alone calms her almost as well as Jake's voice does. He loves when Jake just lays next to him and just babbles nonsense to the bump. It's one of the few ways he can get to sleep at night anymore.

"Makes sense," Draco muses, gaze on the trees. "I suppose we'll all have to make sure the days after the full moon are cleared." He won't be sleeping until Joe is in their bed, sprawled under him or wrapped around his back. He knows Harry and Nigel are thinking the same thing.

Every mate of the pack is thinking it, he's sure. Gloria and Neville had to go out to the movies to keep them selves occupied, apparently, since hanging with the pregnant wizards raised their blood pressure. Wimps.

Harry nods, yawning quietly. He looks up when Luna hands him a mug and smiles. "Thanks, Luna." He watches Luna coo and coddle Draco, conjuring a small tray to attach to his chair for his tea and biscuits. He rolls his eyes with a smile, his gaze going back to the trees when Draco thanks her profusely.

"Where's 'Mione?" he asks, looking back at Luna for a moment.

"Inside reading," Luna says, rolling her eyes with a fond smile. As if she would be doing anything else. "She's still fascinated about Remus joining Jake's pack and being able to control his wolf."

Harry hums and takes a careful sip of his tea. "Remus has been able to control his wolf much easier since he learned to embrace it," he says softly.

The change in the older werewolf since he stopped fighting his nature is amazing, especially since he still remembers how Remus had struggled and fought Moony each full moon. It only made the transformations more painful and drained him. Last he saw, Remus changed almost as quickly and (seemingly) painlessly as Jake and the pack. It's incredible and still makes him misty whenever he thinks about it.

"The Wolfsbane seems to help even more, he keeps his human mind completely. I bet in a few months, Nigel or Teddy could even spend the full moon around Moony. They're pack, too."

"That would be wonderful!" Luna says brightly and clasps her hands together, giving the lightly snoring lump that is Teddy a warm look. It would be wonderful if Teddy could spend time with Moony; the wolf would never hurt his cub. Teddy always misses his dad during the full moon, not at all enjoying that he can't be with him at night like usual.

"Well," she says, kissing each wizard on the temple and taking Harry's empty hot chocolate mug. "I'm going to drag 'Mione away from the books and ravish her. 'Night!" she chirps and skips back inside.

Draco snorts before going into a full blown bout of quiet giggles. "Like we needed to know that," he finally chokes out. He really doesn't need that visual, thankyouverymuch. He grins when Harry makes a face and shakes his head. "You alright there?" he asks, nodding at Harry's full lap.

"Oh yeah, I'm good," Harry says. Teddy is squishing his bladder to an almost dangerous point but he won't move him for anything. He sighs happily and rests his head back, enjoying the brisk night air and occasional, distant happy howls and yips he can hear as he nibbles on a biscuit.

~oOo~

Harry looks around the nursery with a sense of accomplishment and pride, one hand under his belly and the other perched on top. They are finally done, everything sorted; down to the last plush bunny nestled in each cot.

He turns his head when he hears the door open and smiles. "Hey, Draco."

"Finally done?" Draco asks, coming to a stop beside Harry and mirroring his pose.

He isn't nearly as large as Harry but he finds it a comfortable way to stand as well. He smiles warmly, wishing it was Joe's hand underneath his belly, and looks around the room as well. It's a tasteful mix of feminine and masculine colors; soft pale pinks, greens, blues and yellows trimmed in a soft creme.

"I didn't think it would work," he admits, his gaze flicking between the two empty cot.

Harry snickers and elbows Draco, careful to aim for his upper arm. "I know. Don't think I didn't notice your grimaces and winces each step of the way. Seth worked really hard," he says, smiling. By the time Seth, Joe and Jake finished painting the room, they had been covered head to toe in a pastel rainbow of colors. "He even picked the curtains!" he says, pointing to the soft lilac gingham print adorning the large windows.

Draco hums nodding. He walks around the room, touching random surfaces and finding himself looking forward to the room no longer being empty. "Has Charlotte been by?" he asks, picking up a baby-blue plush wolf and cuddling it to his chest, stroking along the soft furry head.

Harry nods. "Yeah, she'll be here tomorrow since you snuck out and 'missed'—" He crooks his fingers around the last word, "her. And, yes, everything is fine and it looks like we're going to be right on schedule."

He has his own doubts, of course. He has a feeling his daughter will making her appearance early.

~oOo~

Jake runs, cursing himself the entire time, his paws a blur as he speeds home. He never should have gone to his dad's or left his stupid phone in the car to charge. He knew Harry was close to his due date! He feels like a complete moron and a failure. He really has no one to blame but himself, though. Maybe Harry... His husband practically shoved him out the door this morning with a firm 'Go see your dad' and a quick kiss.

Maybe he had been a bit of a suffocating presence that morning, pacing and nervous about having Harry out of his sight.

The reason isn't such a mystery now.

He ducks a low branch and snarls as he stumbles, catching himself at the last second and narrowly avoiding a nasty spill. He phases back just as he hits the front porch and slams the front door open. He frantically looks around before bounding up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He skids to a stop when he sees a large gathering in the hallway.

"What's... going... on?" he pants out.

He's not at all surprised to see nearly everyone in the spacious hallway, making the massive space seem cramped for the first time. He hurriedly steps into a pair of shorts, trying not to roll his eyes when Gloria blushes and looks away and Luna giggles.

"Harry's having the baby, man," Seth says, apparently the only one brave enough to speak up.

He flinches when Jake rushes over but relaxes when he's passed by, Jake's focus on the door they're all circled around. He shares an uneasy look with Leah and Joe, unsure what to do with a visibly tense Alpha. They know he won't be able to get in there and he's truly afraid of the reaction it'll cause.

He doesn't at all feel like a wimp when he backs up a few steps, winds an arm around Gloria's waist and eases them back behind Joe. Jake goes ape-shit about Harry easily these days.

Jake literally bounces off the door and nearly howls with frustration and anger. "Why can't I open the door?!" he yells, pounding the solid wood with both fists.

He can feel everyone watching him warily but he doesn't care. He wants to get inside, dammit! Harry is in there! He slams his shoulder into the door and yelps when he bounces off and nearly falls onto his ass. He feels his eyes prickle with frustrated tears as he rubs his pained shoulder. He thinks about smashing the door again, repeatedly, until it fucking opens, as he stares hard at the offending wood.

"Wards," Hermione says, stepping closer and carefully putting a calming hand on Jake's arm. She sends a chastising look to Seth and Joe; one of them should've stepped up to calm Jake. She offers a small smile when Jake looks up at her with a pained look. She sighs and kneels down. Poor Jake. "Harry was... upsetting Natalie and Teddy," she says quietly.

Both children had been upset to hear their uncle yelling, cursing and generally making it very known he was in extreme discomfort and pain. No one blamed him, of course, and Hermione thought he showed a great deal of restraint overall. He had only cursed Jake—and his private parts—twice...

Jake's eyes widen and he grabs at Hermione with panicky hands, aware enough not to squeeze too hard and hurt the witch. Luna would probably castrate him if Hermione didn't do it first.

"Why? Oh god, I'm missing it!" he cries, his hands leaving Hermione to burrow painfully in his hair as he stares at the door with pained longing. "Fuck! I missed it! I can't believe I missed it! He's going to hate me," he sobs, his head dropping and his chest hitching painfully.

He had promised he would be there when Harry went into labor! He swore to his husband he wouldn't go through it alone. He unsteadily gets to his feet, standing on wobbly legs and bangs weakly on the warded door even though he knows whoever put it up won't hear it.

"Jake, it's alright man," Joe says, stepping closer and wrapping and arm around his Alpha's shaking shoulders. "Remus and Draco are in with him," he offers, hoping it'll sooth the other man. Even just a little. It's not much, he knows he'd be reacting the same way in Jake's position, but he can only hope it helps. He squeezes the arm around Jake comfortingly and doesn't even flinch when Jake leans into him.

Jake nods slowly, wiping at his face. It's slightly better to know Harry isn't in there with only Charlotte. He likes the healer but there is only so much she can do to comfort and sooth his husband when focusing on delivering their daughter.

His hands curl reflexively, longing to hold Harry's. "How long?" he asks, looking around, hoping someone knows. He curses himself again. He had gotten over a dozen texts and calls before someone had thought to call his dad's house.

"About three hours now," Neville says, checking his watch. Jake groans quietly; that's when he got the first call. "Healer Smith hasn't a clue how long it will take. Sometimes it goes quickly, though," he offers. Knowing how Harry's luck runs, he had probably already delivered and the healer is giving them a moment alone. Or they would be in the hallway waiting for days... He really can't tell.

He smiles when Leah moves to comfort Jake as well, Seth moving in a moment after his sister, the pack now surrounding Jake in a loose, comforting semi-circle.

Jake nods dully, still mentally berating and cursing himself. He jumps when he feels the wards over the door drop and Harry's pained moans immediately become audible. He shakes off the arms around him and throws himself through the door with a sound of distress and relief, stumbling towards the bed.

"Harry! I'm so sorry! I missed it! I didn't think! I'm sorry, please don't hate me!" he babbles, his hands wandering all over any part of Harry he can reach. Unsurprisingly, everything is damp with sweat.

He sucks in a steadying breath before gently pushing Harry's sweaty hair back and placing kisses all over his face. He rests his forehead against Harry's, his eyes closed in anguish. And maybe to delay looking into Harry's eyes to see the disappointment or anger.

"Oh, god. I'm so—"

"Jake!" Harry interrupts through clenched teeth before Jake can start. "I'm fine. It's fine, love. You didn't miss anything!" he pants out and gives a pained smile when Jake looks at him. He had been rather pissed when he had gone into labor and no one could reach Jake. Of course, he immediately felt sheepish and guilty when he realized he had personally kicked Jake out earlier.

He had swiftly gone back to pissed when Jake still wasn't there after an hour, obviously having left his mobile somewhere.

He doesn't care now, though; Jake is finally here.

Harry grabs one of Jake's hands with both of his and squeezes, gritting his teeth, when another painful contraction hits. He wants to laugh when Jake doesn't even seem to notice, his other hand now rubbing along his back in soothing circles that are useless against the tightness and pains but are comforting nonetheless.

Damn muscle-y wolf and his super strength. Right now, he's relieved for it, though. He would probably be breaking Jake's hand otherwise.

Jake blinks and notices that Harry is indeed still with a big belly. And completely naked. He grins sheepishly and carefully climbs on the bed, settling himself behind Harry and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, his hands pressing against his slick, naked chest. "Oh, thank god!" he breathes, burying his nose in Harry's damp hair.

He carefully moves some dark strands out of Harry's eyes and firmly rubs his lower back with his knuckles, smiling when Harry moans softly with relief and sags heavily against him.

"It'll be soon, though," Charlotte says, startling Jake as she pops up from between Harry's legs. "You might want to focus on Harry," she advises Jake just as Harry starts breathing in short pants and gasps and starts cursing again.

She nearly laughs; Harry has some interesting curses in his vocabulary. She silently casts a few spells, nodding to Remus when he settles closer to the bed on Harry's other side. She's grateful for his presense, both to sooth Harry's nerves and for his first-aid training since they hadn't been able to reach Carlisle.

Draco, she notices, is staring with wide-eyed, horrified fascination, a hand rubbing his belly almost constantly. "Did you want to leave for this bit?" Charlotte asks the pregnant wizard. It won't be the first time an expectant parent has left a delivery room. Things from that perspective were horrifyingly eye-opening.

Draco slowly shakes his head. "No," he says but scoots further away from the end of the bed, and the horrific sight of an actual birth, and grabs Harry's hand. He winces when it's squeezed tightly. "Squeeze your damn wolf, Potter," he scolds but doesn't try to remove his hand. If it'll comfort Harry or take his mind off things, he'll let the wizard squeeze him a bit.

"Sorry," Harry pants, forcing himself to let Draco's hand go once he's no longer feeling like he's being torn apart and he grabs onto Jake's forearm, puffing and panting, feeling grateful Jake is very sturdy.

He groans and tightly shuts his eyes, mentally cursing Jake and vowing to kick him square in the bits if he even hints at sex again. Of course, he immediately rethinks that plan, knowing he can't realistically expect himself to abstain from Jake for any length of time.

A month. He'll hex Jake in the bits if he asks for anything more than a hand-job for a month.

Jake winces and holds on for dear life, breathing as calmly as he can when he's roughly grabbed every few minutes. He tries to sooth Harry as best he can and feels a bit guilty he's relieved he can't see anything from his vantage point.

He snaps back into reality when Charlotte starts instructing Harry and her voice is tinged with panic but still authoritative. The combination makes him break out in a nervous sweat.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Jake demands, watching the healer wipe her brow with the back of a shaky hand. He doesn't understand what he's hearing, the healer spouting off medical terms and grabbing her wand.

He hears Harry murmur something before he goes limp and he nearly panics.

"Calm down, Jake," Remus says softly, placing a calming hand on the younger werewolf's arm. Jake, thankfully, listens instead of snarling, panicking some more, or going into a full-blown Alpha rage. "Everything is fine. It's going to be alright. It's common and Charlotte has to focus on your daughter, alright?"

He draws Jake's attention again when Charlotte casts a rapid series of spells, recognizing only a few for numbing and cutting, and exaggerates a slow breathing pattern. Jake, again, focuses on him and slowly regulates his breathing, his arms still wrapped tightly around an unconscious Harry.

"He's fine. Charlotte knows what's she doing," he says calmly, keeping his gaze firmly on Jake's so the man doesn't look away.

Jake nods helplessly. Harry is unconscious and the heavy, warm coppery smell of blood is thick in the room. He doesn't know what's happening but he's praying his trust in Charlotte and Remus isn't misplaced. He doesn't know what he'll do if something happens to Harry or their daughter.

Harry twitches and he tightens his hold with one arm, letting the other run a soothing hand through Harry's hair. His other hand twitches with the desire to rub the bulging belly in the familiar, soothing pattern but he stops himself, scared to get in Charlotte's way or contaminate the area.

"Please tell me it's going to be okay," he begs, his face buried in Harry's hair.

"It's going to be okay," Charlotte says absentmindedly, her focus mainly on sanitizing her hands so she can reach in and get the baby out. The sterilizing bubble went up easily enough and she's relieved to notice very little blood. "She decided to turn on me," she says, sounding rather amused.

The last scan showed the little girl nestled upside down and towards Harry's hips but at some point in the last week, she'd turned back around again. It didn't happen often and she curses herself for not checking sooner; it would have saved Harry a lot of discomfort and time.

Harry's head lolls when Jake shifts, leaning as much as he can to see what's going on. His stomach lurches when he sees Charlotte's hands disappearing into Harry and quickly looks away, calming himself by petting Harry's hair and breathing in the slow deep breaths Remus is still doing. His head swims a bit with the extra oxygen but it's keeping the panic at bay. Harry would probably be upset at the need for a Caesarian but he refuses to agree.

If that meant surgically removing their child, so be it. They can have more and Harry can do it naturally then. He grins, lost for a moment in the thought and makes a mental note to ask Harry how many kids he wants. Well, it's probably wiser to wait a few months before he asks... But, hopefully it's a lot.

"How much longer?" he whispers, gaze unwavering from Harry's sleeping face. He gently strokes a still flushed cheek and kisses him softly.

"Nearly done, Jacob," Charlotte says, distracted and slightly annoyed at the interruption. She can't manage to snap at the man, though, fully aware he's probably only moments away from completely freaking out.

"Remus," she calls softly, grateful the older werewolf is there the next moment. "Blanket," she says shortly and as soon as he conjures one, she's lowering a messy, healthy, little girl onto it. "Hold on," she whispers, gently cleaning the baby with a few careful flicks of her wand.

Charlotte tickles one small foot and a moment later a piercing cry sounds in the room and she beams. "Well, there we have it. A healthy, beautiful baby girl," she announces. She focuses back on Harry, her wand waving and swirling.

"Hand her over," she says with a soft laugh when Remus just stands there, eyes wide as he stares with stunned adoration at the newborn.

Remus blinks slowly and shuffles towards the bed, gaze on the newborn. She is beautiful and he feels everything inside soar and bubble with pride and happiness for his cub. He starts to gently rock and bounce when he registers the baby's indignant cries, finally snapping out of his reverie and into the real world.

He nuzzles her slightly-chubby pink cheek, both in greeting and to familiarize himself with her scent. He gently traces the fine wisps of black hair, chuckling softly at the realization that the Potter hair hasn't skipped her. Poor thing.

Jake sits up as much as he can, attention on the squalling baby in Remus' arms. He wants to rush over and grab her but he won't move from his spot. "Remus," he calls, his voice choked with anxiety and elation. He can't believe their daughter is finally here! He doesn't get long to think before Remus is standing next to him and slowly holding out a pink wrapped bundle. He gently shifts Harry, freeing one arm, and carefully takes his daughter.

"Oh wow," he whispers, not even noticing the tears flowing freely down his face. He nearly jumps when he hears Harry softly calling him; he didn't know he was awake already. "Harry!" he says, wiping his face and leaning down as much as he can, gently placing the baby against Harry's chest. "Look," he breathes, folding them both into his arms and squeezing as tight as he dares.

"Hello there, Sarah," Harry murmurs, lifting a shaky finger to gently caress one pink cheek. He can feel Charlotte doing whatever she needs to do but he's able to ignore it since there isn't any pain. For now. He sighs with happiness and exhaustion, leaning against Jake heavily, when he feels Jake's arms tighten ever so slightly around him and Sarah.

"Are you alright with that?" he asks Jake, tilting his head up enough to see Jake's face.

Jake nods, unable to speak for a moment. "Yeah," he chokes out. "I like it. It suits her." He notices Charlotte finally push back from Harry and gives her a nervous glance. "Everything okay?"

"Wonderful," Charlotte says warmly. "I've done so many of these, I've lost count," she says. As she hoped, Jake's shoulders relax with the knowledge. She isn't bragging but she is indeed very familiar with the procedure. "No worries or complications," she says brightly. She's relieved as well, having had to do the C-section with no prior notice.

She gently tucks a light blanket over Harry's exposed bottom half and hurries up to the snuggling couple, regretfully pulling their attention away from their newborn. "I've healed everything up, but you will be tender for a few days. There shouldn't be a scar," she says, handing Harry a potion and watching closely as he swallows it with a grimace. "That's for the pain and lingering discomfort."

Harry nods, gaze never leaving his daughter's face. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Harry," Charlotte says, warmth and affection in her voice. "I do need to borrow her for a moment, though," she says regretfully, but firmly. Harry nods and she carefully takes the newborn across the room for tests and a more thorough clean-up.

Draco finally moves forward, his belly bumping into Harry as he hugs the wizard tightly. "Oh, she's beautiful, Harry," he says, leaning back and wiping at his face.

He had burst into tears the moment he had heard the first wails and he hasn't been able to stop. He's so relieved nothing went wrong and he's both dreading and looking forward to when he'll give birth. Of course, he'll castrate his husband if he's not there the entire time.

He wants to ask to hold her.

"Can I?" Draco asks softly, mostly looking at Jake before he looks across the room to where Charlotte is finishing with the newborn. He's not all that sure how protective Jake is going to be still and he doesn't want to irritate the man. He watches Charlotte as she hurries over and hands the baby back to Harry.

"Yeah, but quickly, okay?" Jake answers, nervously chewing his lips as Harry gently hands their daughter to the pregnant wizard. He knows Draco won't hurt her. He knows Draco is no threat at all, but he's antsy and twitching after only a few moments. "Okay," he says, relieved and grateful Draco immediately lowers Sarah back into Harry's arms without protest. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Draco shrugs and gives the Alpha a reassuring smile, patting his shoulder gently. "It's alright. I understand." He nods when Jake only sits with a sheepish expression still on his face. "I really do," he says, patting the man's arm. "Thank you."

"Are you ready for visitors?" Charlotte asks, watching the interaction. She has a feeling she knows the answer when the new parents both stiffen.

Harry and Jake share a look. "Not yet," Harry says quietly.

He can see the tension in Jake's body just with the people in the room at the moment and he really doesn't want to risk riling the man's wolf instincts any further. They have a large pack now and that many people, no matter how close and loved they are, is just too much right now. Jake would probably growl and start hulking over people and he would feel terrible later for his (understandable) behavior.

"They'll understand."

"I should say so," Charlotte says with a shrug. She isn't all that clear why Jake isn't comfortable with his pack coming in yet but she'll respect their wishes. "Remus—"

Remus nods and stands, carefully hugging Harry and softly kissing Sarah's forehead. "I'll let them know. Draco." He helps the other wizard up. "We'll give you time to rest." He smiles, feeling warm and gooey inside as he beams, watching the new family. He can't help feel honored and a little smug to have been able to hold Sarah. First and longest, with the exception of Harry.

"Thank you, Remus," Jake says, looking up and giving the older man a sincere smile.

Remus just nods and opens the door, closing it softly behind him as he ushers Draco out and re-casts the wards. "Everything went smoothly. Sarah Rose Black was born a few minutes ago," he says happily. A rush of voices and happy shouts has him raising his hands. "They're not ready for visitors yet."

He looks around and is unsurprised to see understanding, but wistful, expressions and nodding. The group slowly disbands, most heading back downstairs to sort out dinner.

"Luna," he calls, smiling when the blonde witch hops over. "Teddy has requested a sleep-over at yours tonight. Is that alright?" he asks.

Teddy loves 'sleep overs' at any of his aunts and uncles' houses. He appreciates that none of them mind and offer frequently enough so he and Nigel can have time alone. They tease him relentlessly but it's worth it for an evening of blissful quiet and child-free fun.

"Yes!" Luna says with a bounce and a happy clap. She's been dying to try a few Muggle board games but Hermione said they were 'too childish' to play. Teddy will be the perfect partner! "I'll let Hermione know."

Remus nods and makes his way into the room he was temporarily staying in with Nigel. It feels like the first time they'd been here and he smiles softly. "Hey, love," he says, breaking Nigel from his thoughts as he turns his head from the window to look at him. He joins Nigel by the window, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on the other man's shoulder. "Alright?"

"Yes, wonderful," Nigel says sincerely. "We're to be bonded in two weeks, and everything else? Wonderful," he repeats, squeezing the hand holding him tightly. "I'm a bit scared I'll wake up."

Remus chuckles, leaning down just enough to softly kiss the soft skin behind Nigel's ear. "I know the feeling, love."

"But it's real," Nigel says firmly with a contented sigh. "How's Harry?"

"Wonderful," Remus says with a smile. "Sarah Rose, they named her. The healer had to do an emergency C-section but other than that, everything went really well. Harry's tired but so happy. Merlin, Nigel, he was practically luminous," he says with a wet, choked chuckle.

He feels Nigel turn in his arms and hastily wipes his eyes. "Sorry."

Nigel tsks softly and cups Remus' face, kissing him softly as he wipes a stray tear away. He's proud of the young wizard and he can only imagine that Remus is feeling like quite the proud papa at the moment.

"It's alright. I'm happy for him as well and you're completely within your rights to be ecstatic for him. He deserves it." Remus nods, completely agreeing. "And besides, he'll be much more comfortable at our bonding."

"Are you sure that doesn't bother you?" Remus asks softly. Nigel hadn't sounded at all snide or sarcastic, but he can't help making sure his fiancé isn't feeling slighted or pushed aside in favor of Harry. He wants to squirm, hating himself if he made Nigel feel that way.

Nigel huffs and rolls his eyes. "It doesn't bother me. I already told you I'm fine with it. I'd actually feel better doing the same for Draco but I refuse to wait that long," he says with a chuckle. He nods when Remus finally looks convinced.

Honestly; like he would keep quiet if it bothered him. No way. He wouldn't put up a big fuss, but he would make sure Remus knew he isn't happy.

"Now," he says, leaning forward and resting his arms on Remus' shoulders. "I'm guessing we can visit in the morning?" Remus nods. "Excellent," he says, leaning in for a kiss, pleased their evening plans haven't changed.

~oOo~

"Holy shit, Harry," Jake whispers, staring at the now sleeping newborn still cradled in Harry's arms. He wants to hold her but he hasn't the heart to pry her from her mother's arms (fighting the urge to snort at his thoughts). He's content with holding them both. "We have a daughter," he whispers against Harry's hair, his head tilted to look down into the sleeping face of their daughter.

He wants to say 'thank you' but it doesn't even begin to cover his feelings on the matter.

Harry nods, his eyes tearing up once again. He absently brushes at his cheeks. "I know," he whispers back. "I was so ready to meet her," he gushes quietly, running a finger down a chubby pink cheek. He can't seem to stop touching her, not even the threat of waking her can stop him.

He gently pulls the pink cap off and marvels at her little head of black hair. "Poor baby-girl," he laments, watching the strands defy gravity and refuse taming. "I've cursed a girl with Potter hair," he whispers with a choked laugh.

He smoothes a hand over the downy hair and sighs when it springs right back up again. He hopes Sarah will be more patient when uncle Draco starts to attack with hair potions and styling charms.

"It's not a curse," Jake says, gently ruffling the defiant strands-soft and sticking up and out like a dandelion puff. He thinks Harry's hair is sexy and wrinkles his brow at the idea of his daughter having the same hair. 'Sexy' no longer works as an adjective in this case.

He smoothes his large, warm palm over the soft head, marveling at how tiny and soft she is. "Maybe it'll flatten as it grows?" he muses, grinning. He hopes so. He makes a note to learn how to make pig-tails and braids, just in case 'taming' doesn't work out.

Harry shrugs and carefully slides the pink cap back on, tucking errant black wisps under with a gentle sweep of his finger. He jumps when he realizes Charlotte is standing right by his bed. "Hi," he says lamely, gradually loosening the hold he had tightened on his sleeping newborn at the startle. Thankfully, he hasn't squished Sarah.

"Hi," Charlotte chirps. "So, you read your books right?" Both men nod. "Right, so as soon as she fusses, see if she'll nurse."

Harry nods, still feeling shocked at that. He had almost hoped he, by some miracle of magic, could feed his daughter himself. He can't but he's still grateful and fascinated the lingering hormones allowed a brief period of 'milk' production like a Muggle woman's colostrum. It will go away after 2 days but it's amazing to have even that. It's a bit ridiculous the amount (and variety) of Muggle formula they have stored in an expanded pantry in the kitchen. Bottles, too. They'd never have to wash a bottle with the overflowing mountain of them cluttering the kitchen.

"What if she doesn't?" he asks Charlotte, nervously working his bottom lip between his teeth. He's mostly worried he doesn't have anything to offer. He resists the urge to poke at his chest; nothing feels different.

"Then we have a bottle ready," Charlotte says easily. She shakes a small vial. The potion is thick and a light, buttery yellow color of pancake batter. "Add half of this first, in that case. Add the other half in her first bottle tomorrow as well."

Jake reaches out and takes the vial, sniffing it dubiously. "What is this?" he asks, indicating the vial. He doesn't think much of potions and he's nearly ready to smash this stuff if it's vile and gross like other potions he's had the displeasure of experiencing. He refuses to give something nasty to his baby-girl.

"It's a nutrient dense potion. It mimics the effect of the colostrum, in a way. It's not as good, the antibodies and such aren't as potent, but it's better than nothing," Charlotte says brightly. She gently takes the vial back and uncorks it, holding the opened vial back to Jake for inspection. He leans forward and gives it a wary sniff and nods his approval, settling back with a satisfied smile. "Alright?" Both men nod and she beams at them. "Excellent. Are you ready for visitors? You've got quite the crowd out there," she says, laughing softly. Every time she's had to slip out, she's been pounced on by at least half a dozen people. She hopes Remus has chased them away but she's not sure.

Harry and Jake share a look. "No," Harry says softly, feeling like an arsehole. He knows everyone is waiting patiently but he's just not ready to be swarmed with the pack and family just yet. He doesn't think Jake is either when he feels his husband's body stiffen against his back. "In the morning?"

"Of course. I'll let them know," Charlotte says. She gently pats Harry's leg and smiles. "They'll understand, don't feel bad."

They both nod, feeling a bit bad anyway. They focus on looking at their daughter, instead. Both watch in smitten fascination as her little mouth starts making a sucking motion, her eyes fluttering.

"Oh no," Harry gasps, when her eyes open and a little brow furrows in preparation of a cry. He isn't ready to nurse yet. He's too nervous and jittery. He feels Jake's hands on his shoulders, rubbing and gently soothing.

"It's okay, you can do it," Jake murmurs, watching Sarah's chest hitch with a big, loud cry. As much as the sound makes his heart hurt, he's thrilled to hear it, too. It's loud and demanding but healthy and just so... _here_. He'll probably get tired of the reminder their daughter is finally here, but for now he's enjoying it.

He smiles as Harry awkwardly shifts her small body in his hold and holds her close. It takes a moment but she finally gets the idea and latches on and he gapes with incredulous delight. "Wow."

Harry looks up enough to see Jake staring with rapt attention. He ignores the look and focuses on the odd sensation of his daughter's greedy sucks. It's painful, more than he imagined it would be, but he doesn't complain. It won't be for long and he's content to enjoy the short time they've got. He gently touches every part of Sarah he can reach without disrupting her feeding, baffled and amazed. He knew she was in there but holding her makes it real.

He winces. "How do I get her off?" he wonders aloud a few minutes later. Sarah's brows are furrowed with confusion as she sucks but gets nothing. Her solution of sucking harder isn't helping matters. He winces again.

"Like this," Jake says, leaning over Harry's shoulder and sliding a finger between the soft skin of Harry's chest and Sarah's mouth. She detaches with a sucking, wet pop and immediately starts crying again. He gently takes a clenched, tiny fist in his hand and wiggles it. "Hey, you'll get more," he murmurs. In moments, Harry has her turned and latched on the other side.

He reluctantly eases out from behind Harry. "I'll be right back," he says, leaning down and kissing Harry's temple.

Harry looks up, feeling slightly panicked. "Where are you going?"

"To get a few bottles. I have a feeling that's not going to be enough," he says, pointing at Sarah suckling contentedly for now. At the rate baby-girl is going, she'll need more before she settles.

Harry nods. "Oh. Brilliant idea," he says. He reaches out before Jake can leave and pulls him into a heated kiss. "Thank you."

Jake can only smile and nod, words gone for a moment with surprise and sudden lust. He hurries from the room and is immediately followed by a large, eagerly loud group. He makes a few bottles before turning and addressing the gathering. "Luna?" he says and he smiles when the blonde witch immediately pulls her wand and casts a charm to preserve and warm the bottles. "Thank you. Uh, hey guys. We're still... recovering. I think we'll be okay with everyone coming tomorrow morning to see Sarah."

"Yeah, okay," Seth grumbles. He had hoped it would be sooner, even after Remus has said the same thing, but he understands the protective urge Jake (and probably Harry) feels. "How early?"

Jake balances the bottles in his arms, shifting from foot to foot with the urge to be back in the room with his new family, and frowns. "No idea. I'm not goin' to work, so... whenever. I'll try to keep my phone on me, so give me a heads-up beforehand. Just in case." Everyone nods in understanding and he grins. "Thanks, guys. Gotta go!" he says and hurries back up the stairs.

He remembers to grab a bassinet from the nursery before rushing back. The door buzzes against his palm pleasantly but opens and he carefully sets the bottles on the table closest to Harry. He smiles with relief when he's just in time to see Sarah to pull off and scrunch her face with displeasure.

"Oh thank Merlin," Harry says, pulling the blanket up to cover his chest. He isn't modest but chilled. He misses Jake's warmth against him and the chill across his damp nipples is odd and uncomfortable. He shudders as he gently eases Sarah to his shoulder and pats her back, the newborn's wiggling and grunts of displeasure lessening when there's a quiet burp.

"How much should she get?" he asks, looking up at Jake as he shakes a bottle.

Jake shrugs. "I dunno. As much as she'll eat, I guess." He hands over a bottle, still warm from Luna's charm, and carefully climbs in behind Harry again. He watches with fond amazement as Harry shifts the little girl and lays her flat along his crooked arm. He wants to poke and tease Harry for having any doubts of his parenting skills but doesn't. Instead, he smiles when Sarah eagerly latches into the bottle, sucking greedily and nosily. Her bright blue eyes drift closed, her face smoothing out as she eats.

"Little pig," he whispers fondly. "God, if she eats like the pack, we didn't get enough formula," he says after a few moments of watching her feeding. Her snuffling little breathes and a sucking noise are the only sounds in the quiet room.

"Maybe," Harry says with a soft, short laugh. He has his doubts they'd ever run out but the way the bottle steadily empties is proof Sarah already has a hearty appetite. "Just like your dad," he whispers, bending to place a soft kiss on a slightly wrinkled, tiny forehead.

Jake chuckles, settling himself more comfortably on the bed and eases Harry back with him. "Well, if she's like her mom, she'll prefer chocolate formula. Then what would we do?"

Harry turns just enough to scowl at Jake but says nothing. He's over the indignation of being called 'mum'; he's taking it as an honor and sod anyone that thinks otherwise. "Yes. Well. They don't make that. Chocolate isn't good for babies."

Jake just hums and gets comfortable, watching as Sarah drains the bottle. Before it's done, she's asleep, her mouth moving in lazy sucks. He watches as Harry gently eases the bottle out and carefully rests her sleep-limp body over his shoulder and starts patting. He can't help laughing quietly when a loud burp pops out of the tiny baby a moment later. "Wow." A diaper check (clean) and a quick refolding of the blanket into a comforting swaddle. He watches as Harry eases her into the cushy bassinet.

"I'm so tired, I could sleep for a week," Harry says with a yawn. He shifts in the bed, laying back against Jake and wiggling until he's comfortable. He takes one more long look at Sarah. He hopes he'll wake if she cries, but before he can really worry about it, he's asleep.

~oOo~

Harry adjusts the pouch on his chest and makes grabby hands at Jake. "All set," he says and leans forward enough so Jake can slide Sarah in, carefully guiding little legs into the allotted holes. "I love this thing," he gushes when Sarah is seated and already drifting off back to sleep snuggled against him. He loves it most when Jake wears it. It's an adorable (and strangely sexy) sight.

Jake hums absently, focused on adjust straps and pads. "Hold still," he says when Harry wiggles the padded straps. "Alright?" he asks. Harry does a few, gentle, experimental bounces and nods. He grabs the loaded diaper bag.

Harry snorts and gently removes the bag from Jake's shoulder, kissing his hand as he puts the bag on the sofa. "We're going to be in our own backyard. We don't need the bag, love."

"I know," Jake says with a huff. "But if it's all the way in here, she'll be screaming her head off by the time I can get a bottle in her or you can change her."

Harry shakes his head and stands on his toes to carefully kiss Jake. The man, unsurprisingly, is such a worrywart. And apparently has forgotten he's in full use of his magic again. An accio brings things before they can blink and he can conjure nearly anything Sarah requires. And, his personal favorite, a muttered spell, in an emergency, vanishes anything Sarah expels.

"She'll be fine. Babies cry, love," he says softly, leaning as close as he can without squishing their sleeping newborn, and runs a hand down his husband's arm.

"Yeah, but it's a wedding," Jake says in a hushed whisper. He doesn't want to be those people; the ones with a crying baby ruining a lovely occasion.

He looks out the large windowed doors; the big white tents are back and numerous chairs are lined up and waiting for guests. This time, they just bought the tents and he had Seth and Joe help him get them up. It seemed like a smarter option instead of renting the damn things a dozen times, since everyone decided their yard and house was just made for weddings and the like. Which is fine by him and Harry, really.

"And besides—" he says, looking back at Harry with a very harassed expression, "if she cries, Hermione will come and steal her."

Harry laughs softly and rests a hand on Sarah's back, rubbing gently through the padded fabric. "I won't let her."

"Right."

Harry narrows his eyes playfully. "Fine, then. You're the big, bad Alpha. Just growl and scare her away."

"No way," Jake says, holding his hands up and waving them around. Hermione scares the hell out of him. If it were a serious issue, he would (probably) be able to stand up to her, but not something like this. Keeping his daughter from her godmother, apparently, is an unthinkable crime. Hermione doesn't butt in often, but she's the first in line for a snuggle or to 'help' with a fussy little girl.

He glares when Harry makes a muffled snorting sound, he knows his husband is laughing at him. "Don't you laugh at me," he says archly. "You're just as scared of her."

Harry nods. "I am. I've seen what she can do, though. I have every logical reason to be wary of her and that wand."

Jake just makes a noise in the back of his throat and turns around, leaving the bag on the sofa as he walks outside. He wants to try those little mini-hot dog things he saw Esme making.

He suppresses the urge to shoot a middle finger up over his shoulder, only resisting because Harry is holding their daughter. Even if it's silly, borderline insane really seeing as she isn't even facing him and can't see all that well, he doesn't want to be a bad influence.

"Are you teasing your poor husband again?"

Harry turns to see Draco waddle into the room, huffing slightly with a hand resting on top of his belly, but looking thoroughly amused. "Yup," he says brightly. "How're you?" he asks, rubbing the bulging belly once Draco is close enough. Draco looks ready to pop and Harry's concerned he should be somewhere a bit more stress-free and quiet.

"Hot. Bloated. Annoyed. Horny. You know, all fine and dandy," Draco says with a chuckle and a hand wave. He reaches up and gently strokes the just-visible small, dark head strapped to Harry's front. "Sleeping again?"

Harry nods proudly. His daughter is probably the most perfect baby ever. She only fusses when she's hungry (which is often). Otherwise, she lays quietly gurgling or sleeps. "Yes, she wore herself out earlier." At just over a month old, Sarah still enjoys eating with vigor. It's more than amusing to see a bottle disappear and Sarah nod off from the effort of draining it as quickly as possible.

"Lucky tosser," Draco mutters, but his smile is fond and warm as he looks at the sleeping baby. He doubts he'll get so lucky unless his son takes after Joe. Otherwise, he's probably in deep shit and doomed to having just the one. He doesn't think he can handle more than one miniature version of himself.

"Everyone here?" he asks, dropping himself into the nearest, cushiest chair with a groan.

Harry shrugs and sits, carefully arranging Sarah's dangling feet so he doesn't squish or bend them. "I think Remus was waiting for a few guests but he didn't say who."

"A surprise?" Draco asks, raising an eyebrow. He rubs his belly and smiles gratefully when Harry's hand twitches and a small tray of finger sandwiches zooms over. Show-off bastard. "Thanks," he says, reaching for one and nibbling on it. It's cucumber. He hates cucumber but he's too hungry to be picky and he scowls lightly when he realizes his little spawn wants more. He sighs and grabs another.

Harry shrugs again, popping the tiny sandwich in his mouth in one go. "I guesso," he says around the mouth-full. "Nigel only invited his mum—nice lady, by the way, guard your cheeks, though—and Remus made it sound like he didn't really keep in touch with anyone else in England."

With the exception of Andromeda, who couldn't make the long distant travel even by Wizarding travel due to her health, he seemed quite content with the family he's 'adopted' in the states. He hasn't seen the older werewolf happier and he's happy Remus has a true pack.

Draco hums, nibbling another sandwich. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see." He hates waiting. It's so tedious. He hates surprises, too. Especially since most aren't pleasant. Harry nods, grumbling as well.

They both jump and turn their heads when the floo whooshes. Draco leans forward as best he can, squinting into the green flames and bursting out into laughter when a tangled heap of orange, fuchsia, black and brown falls onto their rug with a snickering grunt.

Harry laughs as well, thoroughly enjoying the sight of Fred, George and Blaise cursing and flailing about as they try to untangle themselves. It isn't the wisest decision to floo together, but leave it to those buggers to attempt it.

"Hi!" he calls out when the many patting hands get frisky instead of remove soot.

"Harry! Baby! Draco!" Fred calls out, pulling his leg from Blaise's armpit and hurrying over to the sofas. He pauses only to charm the soot from his clothes and leans down to carefully crush Harry in a hug. "So, what's the sprog's name then, eh?" he asks, as he straightens back up, gaze on the sleeping baby attached to Harry's chest in a strange little contraption. Strange, clever little contraption.

Harry flushes, embarrassed he had forgotten to tell the trio the good news. "I can't believe I didn't write you!" He groans and buries his face in his hands. He feels awful and offers a sheepish, apologetic smile to a smirking red-head. He's a horrible person.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," George calls from the hearth rug, doing a thorough job of patting all the soot from the seat of Blaise's pants. And his front but he's slapped away after only a few half-arsed attempts. He pouts and sneaks a quick kiss and a grope before Blaise can hurry off.

Fred nods, grinning as he watches Blaise dance away with a loud call of 'pervert!'. "Right. You've been busy, little brother. Plus, we've it on good authority that babies absorb part of your brain." He nods knowingly.

"No, they eat it, I believe," George chimes in, abandoning his quest of fondling Blaise (said wizard now using a pregnant Draco as a shield of sorts) and standing by his twin and inspecting Harry's offspring. He can't see much but a small, puffy head full of black hair and tiny closed eyes. "Absorb the grey matter and use it themselves, or some such rubbish," he says, bending over and gently holding padded fabric down in an effort to get a better peek.

"Is that so?" Harry asks, eyes narrowing.

Fred and George nod as one. "Yes." They both yelp in unison as a stinging hex scrapes across their arse. "Hey!" They had forgotten Harry's magic is in tiptop shape again. Bugger.

"You just... Never mind. Her name is Sarah," Harry says, looking down and smiling. "She's sleeping, so no funny business," he says, giving each twin a very serious, hard glare.

George and Fred affect horrified, put upon expressions at the same time. "We would never!" they say in unison. They have learned the hard way not to bother a sleeping baby. Protective mothers are worse than a raging hippogriff. Fleur was an experience neither would forget anytime soon.

"Sure," Harry snorts. He gently eases Sarah out of her carrier so she can be seen easier. He cradles her in the crook of his arm, her body only just starting to outgrow the space. Blaise wanders over, leaning over his bent over twins.

A chorus of 'Aw's sound and Harry smiles warmly. "Cute, yeah?"

Fred nods. "You make a cute rugrat, Harry, no doubt about it," he says, looking at Sarah fondly. He slowly reaches a hand out and gently brushes along one chubby cheek when he isn't slapped away. He snickers when George's hand goes right for the soft tufts of messy black hair.

"Poor little thing has your mop," George says, laughing as loud as he dares. He has no interest in truly riling Harry up by waking the baby. An irate Harry is a dangerous Harry. And he's sure nothing will get Harry irate faster than a threat to his daughter's peace. "So, how old is she?" he asks. He wants to hold her but he doesn't want to be told no.

Harry looks up and smiles at the look of longing on George's face. He gently holds Sarah up, chuckling when Sarah is gently snatched and eagerly cradled to the red-head's chest. He watches George stand upright, a smitten, goofy smile on his face. He also doesn't miss the calculating look on Blaise's face. Huh.

"Just about a month old," he murmurs, adjusting the onsie's neckline more comfortably. He had bought a very cute, very frilly dress for the wedding but Sarah fussed and pouted until he took it off.

"Heavy," George murmurs, bouncing the sleeping baby lightly. She isn't quite chubby yet but he can tell she will be. "Healthy," he adds when he can see Harry bristle. "I'm not making fun, Harry. Babies are meant to be fat, mate. Is she a good eater?" he asks, grinning.

Harry scowls but nods. "Yeah, takes after her dad that one," he says, his scowl dropping off his face and being replaced by a sappy smile.

"Which dad?" Fred and George ask at the same time. Fred is leaning over and peeking at Sarah over George's shoulder. Harry does indeed make cute kids. He can make out Harry's nose and chin on the little girl. He grins when little, pink lips purse and smack and he wonders how soon before she's looking for a snack. He feels rather silly when the urge to offer the next bottle has him fidgeting and nearly smacking George and taking the little girl.

Harry sighs and looks to the ceiling, unsure if he wants to discuss this with the twins. They are perpetual jokers and he doesn't feel up to being mocked and made fun off. He glares when Draco pipes up with: "Harry's the mum. So, naturally, Jake is dad." He watches as the twins share a look.

"Makes sense," Fred murmurs, poking the little girl gently in the chest in a bid to wake her. He wants to see her eyes open. And how fast she can drain a bottle. She's already getting chubby so he imagines it's quite the impressive sight. He looks up when he notices how quiet it's gotten. "What?"

Harry blinks. "That's it? No mocking? No jokes?" he asks, looking between the twins with a dubious but determined expression on his face.

"No," Fred and George say at the same time.

"What sort of arses do you take us for?" Fred asks, frowning lightly. "There isn't anything funny about you bein' her mum. You are."

Harry grins and starts laughing, shaking on the sofa and rolling from side to side. Of all the people he expected to mock and tease him, the twins never cease to surprise him. "Thanks, mates," he says after he's gotten control of himself. "And you are arses," he says with a cheeky grin. "But it's nice to know you've got a sliver of a serious side."

"Tiny sliver," Fred mutters, jabbing George in the ribs and miming holding the baby.

"Miniscule," George grumbles, shaking his head and angling his body away so Fred can't steal her. He isn't done yet.

Blaise just laughs. "Well, hand her over you great hog," he says, poking George in the neck. "Harry's going to want her back soon and I refuse to be left out."

"Yes, dear," George says, affecting a put-upon sigh and gently transferring the sleeping baby to Blaise's waiting arms.

He sits back with Fred, both taking a moment to look around. The house is oddly quiet, it appears most of the party is going on outside. He sees Luna run past the large windowed door, giggling madly, followed closely by a bright pink-haired Teddy and a little girl in a ridiculously frilly dress. "We'll be outside!" they say together and both are up and off the sofa and outside before anyone can respond.

Blaise shakes his head and looks back down at the now rousing baby. He stiffens and tries not to panic. "She's waking up," he whispers, sounding panicked and a bit horrified. Sleeping babies are easy. Awake ones are fucking terrifying. They make noises and smells when awake. He breathes with relief when Harry hurries over, a bottle already in hand.

He slowly takes the bottle, stunned, when Harry shoves it at him and makes no move to remove his daughter from his arms. "What? No. I mean, you take it back."

"She. Not it," Harry scoffs. He waves a hand dismissively and sits back down, sharing an amused look with Draco. "It's easy. Just stick the nipple against her mouth, and she'll do the rest," he says, watching as Blaise follows his direction. Soon, Sarah is happily sucking away, her still-blue eyes looking around as she nurses noisily.

Blaise watches the rapidly decreasing bottle with wonder. "Wow. That is impressive." He blinks when Sarah looks up at him. "Will her eyes stay blue?" he asks, confused. Between her fathers' coloring, he didn't think to expect blue eyes.

"I dunno," Harry says, shrugging. "Doubt it."

Blaise just hums and watches quietly as Sarah drains her bottle, a hollow plastic sucking sound ringing out when it empties. He panics again when the bottle is spit out and the little girl's forehead scrunches. Before he can truly panic, Harry is there gently taking her and putting her over his shoulder. "Thanks," he sighs, setting the now empty bottle on the coffee table.

He watches as Harry pats the baby's back and laughs when a loud burp sounds and the little girls makes a satisfied sound, little legs kicking happily, her eyes closing slowly. "I've never heard such a sound from something so small."

"That's nothing," Harry says with a laugh, his nose wrinkling. He hadn't expected nearly half the things Sarah has... delivered. He thought the poor baby possessed, from some of the things that came out of her. Charlotte's humorous assurances it was all normal helped. Some days.

"Well," he says, checking the time. "Only about ten minutes until the service." He sets Sarah back in her carrier after a nappy check. He knows she's going to wait until the most inconvenient time to need a fresh one, though. He settles her on his chest with some light bounces.

Blaise nods and helps Draco up, suppressing a smile as his friend wobbles and waddles upright. "Sorry!" he immediately says when he gets a death glare. Apparently, he didn't stifle his smile fast enough. Even without the use of magic, a pregnant Draco is not someone he wants near him when pissed off.

He protectively cups himself, bows lowly and then unashamedly runs away. "See you outside!" he calls over his shoulder just before he bursts through the doors, looking for his twins.

"Wimp," Draco sniffs, lifting his chin with a smirk. He waddles outside, grumbling and muttering about the lack of decent cooling charms. He finally gets to the seat next to Joe and lowers himself rather gracelessly, smiling gratefully when Joe helps ease him down. It's the least the bastard can do. He turns towards the front and waits patiently.

"Get me more sandwiches, love?" he leans over after waiting an entire minute. He beams when Joe nods and hurries off, barely missing a collision with Leah and Neville in his haste.

By the time Joe slinks back with a loaded plate (with sandwiches and chips with a healthy scoop of some sort of green mystery marshmallow salad) the music for the wedding starts. He turns with the rest of the guests and watches as the couple walks down the make-shift isle, his hand sliding along the back of Draco's seat to rest against his shoulders, a hand gently massaging his blonde's neck as he quietly eats.

"Are you alright?" Joe murmurs, minutes later, trying to be quiet as Remus and Nigel exchange their vows and raise their wands for the bonding portion. He gently cups Draco's neck and offers him a napkin, not caring it's fabric and probably not meant to be used as a handkerchief.

Draco nods and dabs at his leaking eyes, his plate empty and now on the ground under his chair. He leans into Joe and sighs. "Mhm," he hums, grabbing Joe's hand and settling it on his belly. "Just... weddings, you know?" he whispers, tearing up all over again when the light flashes around the two older men and they chastely kiss, Teddy bouncing beside them and clapping as they pull apart.

"Ah," Joe says with a nod. He rubs gentle circles on his husband's swollen belly and smiles when his hand is kicked. He'd be pleased with the strength if it didn't make his husband wince. "Tell him to settle down or he's going to be in trouble."

Draco snickers and covers Joe's hand on his belly with his. "Won't work, love," he murmurs, beaming a smile up at Remus and Nigel as the couple pass by, arms entwined and painful looking smiles on their faces. "Aw, how sweet is that?" he whispers and dabs at his eyes again. He almost hates how sappy and gooey the hormones make him, but it's a handy excuse to act how he likes in public. He's genuinely happy for Remus and Nigel and he's relieved he can show it.

He smiles when Luna flops into the chair next to his, another plate in her hand. "I'm really not that bad, am I?" he asks, pouting, but still takes the sandwich, biting into it. He hasn't a clue what's in it, just that it's delicious.

"Not at all!" Luna soothes with a gentle pat to Draco's arm. She leans over and places her small hand on the side of Draco's belly, giggling loudly when her hand is immediately kicked.

~oOo~

Joe hums as he walks upstairs and into his room, searching for his husband. He looks around the empty room and nearly leaves untilm he hears a soft noise from the bathroom. He opens the door, the whimpering sound overriding the habit of knocking, and he stands still as he takes in the sight before him. Draco is standing in front of the mirror, completely naked and on the verge of tears.

He struggles helplessly with words for a moment, not having any idea what's going on.

Times like this are the only times he curses his husband's hormones. He can't always sort out how to react or what to do. "Draco?" he asks softly, stepping closer slowly. He keeps his distance, though, just in case this is one of the few times Draco needs solitude.

"Fuck," Draco whispers and turns to see Joe looking at him with concern. He sniffs and shakes his head. He doesn't want to explain, he feels foolish enough without having to explain. He sniffs again and looks down, trying to avoid his reflection in the large mirror. He can't, of course, the damn thing takes up nearly the entire wall.

It had seemed a good idea at the time...

Joe shuffles closer when Draco doesn't seem bothered by him being there and gently pulls Draco to his chest when his husband makes no move to refuse him. "What's wrong, love?" he asks, his hand making gentle strokes through his pale hair. It's longer now and he's quite enamored with it. He lifts a chunk and watches it drift back down in a pale gold waterfall to brush along Draco's shoulders.

He smiles softly when he feels a shiver work through Draco. He does it a few more times, enjoying the chance to hold his husband close and comfort him. He doesn't know what's wrong but he's patient. Draco will tell him when he's ready.

" _Je suis trop gros_ *," Draco mutters in French. It's the closest he can come at the moment to explaining without explaining. He burrows his face in Joe's chest, his hands fisting in his soft t-shirt. He feels Joe shudder lightly and he smirks. He's nearly forgotten Joe's reaction to French. Before Joe can ask him to translate he continues; " _Je suis trop gros et ne peux pas toucher ma propre bite._ **" Tears and the reason for them forgotten, Draco wiggles closer and runs his hands along Joe's back.

Joe swallows thickly and feels a flush of embarrassment for getting turned on while his husband fights tears. He can't help it! Draco's deep voice whispering things in French just does something to him. Most of the time, Draco murmurs dirty things in French.

"What?" he murmurs, keeping his touch soothing and calming.

He wants to reach down and fill his hands with Draco's pale, perfect ass but it's probably not the time. Draco doesn't always speak French to rile him, he's noticed his husband will slip into the language after he's spoken with his mom. He tries to control himself when Draco starts rubbing against him, firmly telling himself it doesn't have to mean Draco is doing his 180º hormone thing and is now a horny bastard.

" _Oh, Joe, prends-moi maintenant. J'ai besoin d'une bonne baise,_ ***" Draco whispers, letting his hands trail over Joe's back, his touch light as he trails the tips of his fingers over Joe's arse. He's annoyed his bulging belly keeps him from pressing close to Joe's front like he wants, but he makes due.

"Joe," he murmurs, threading a hand through his dark, shaggy hair and pulling until he's able to latch his lips onto his husband's.

Joe pulls back only enough to cup Draco's face. "I have no idea what you said but are you alright?" he asks, trying to get his desire under control. He doesn't know what Draco said and he really doesn't want to make matters worse by reacting wrong. Even if Draco is kissing him and trying to rub against him, he doesn't want to just ignore the problem because his dick took over his thought processes.

"Yes," Draco says and sighs softly. Damn Joe and his loving nature. "I was just frustrated. But you're here, so I shan't be frustrated any longer," he says and sends Joe a smile that lets him know exactly what he means. Just in case his husband is being noble and understanding, he steps back only enough to get a hand down the front of Joe's pants. He smirks when he hears Joe's breathing falter and wiggles his fingers.

Joe groans softly and brings Draco as close as possible for another kiss. "Why were you frustrated?" he asks, pulling away again. His eyes flutter closed as Draco's hand continues to moving, caressing and go about making him pant. He tries to control himself but his hips arch and try to get closer to his wicked husband all on their own.

"Joe," Draco huffs. "Seriously?"

Joe nods, a resolute expression on his face. "Yes. Seriously."

"Fine," Draco says and steps away enough to think clearly. He can feel his cheeks (and neck and chest—damn his delicate skin) warm with embarrassment. "I... I was feeling... you know... and I was trying to..."

He huffs and rolls his eyes to the ceiling. It's not that embarrassing, Joe has watched him wank, but he's reluctant to share for some reason. He rarely keeps things from Joe but this is something new and he's not sure how to handle it. Joe cups his cheek again and he sighs softly. "I wanted to wank and couldn't quite reach."

He crosses his arms over his belly as best he can and glares towards the open door. He doesn't think Joe will make fun of him, but Merlin help him if he does.

Joe fights the urge to smile, he knows it'll be a very bad thing to do, and drags Draco closer. Mental images assault him and he's not sure whether they turn him on, turn him into smitten goo or want to laugh. He can see Draco trying to reach around his very prominent belly to stroke himself off and stomping his foot in a frustrated tantrum when he can't.

He feels bad he wasn't home sooner to help. Making the decision to start his leave from work tomorrow, he gently cards his finger through Draco's hair.

"Why the bathroom?" he asks, merely out of curiosity. Draco never seems to care where he is when the urge strikes him. He'll only find a more suitable room if he's not alone.

"The mirror," Draco says, nodding his head slightly towards the one wall. "I couldn't see anything!" he says archly, glaring down at his belly for a moment. "And I couldn't quite reach. So, I was hoping..." he trails off and growls when Joe snickers softly. "It's not funny, you bastard!"

He bites his tongue on the urge to blame Joe for him looking like he's swallowed a Quaffle. He can't; he knows Joe isn't the only one to blame. But he's irritated, frustrated and feeling decidedly less horny as the seconds tick by. Not that his erection goes down, no. It's still there and he's losing the urge to do a damn thing about it even though it's still making itself known.

Fucking hormones...

Joe tightens his arms so Draco can't stomp off in a huff. "I'm not laughing at you, love. I'm really not." He had a very ill-timed thought about mirrors and Draco's cock and he's not sure he could possible explain it without Draco getting even more pissed.

"Do you need some help?" he asks, pitching his voice low and hoping to distract his husband with the hand he slides down his side and cups his ass again. He buries the smile on his face in Draco's neck, enjoying the sharply indrawn breath and the not-so-subtle way his husband moves against him.

"That is what I've been saying," Draco huffs, rubbing himself against Joe as best he can. He squeaks when he's lifted suddenly and placed on the bed moments later. He quickly gets his bearings and grins as he shifts onto his side, rubbing a hand along his flank as he looks at Joe with a heated gaze. "Hurry up."

Joe nods quickly and hurriedly takes his clothes off, the garments flying and landing in various piles. It's a testament at how eager Draco is that he doesn't remind him where to put his clothes.

He eases onto the bed, pushing on Draco's shoulder and caging Draco with his arms and legs once his husband is on his back. He leans down and peppers kisses along Draco's shoulder and neck, his tongue and teeth playing along the skin just often enough to have Draco panting and squirming.

"How do you want it?" he asks, feeling decidedly unromantic but needing to know. There are very few positions they can use now.

He rubs a hand down Draco's belly and sighs softly, loving the feeling of the taut skin. Draco is always sexy and the image he makes currently is even more so. He circles his hand over their child and feels a bit of a pervert for getting so turned on by it. Thankfully, their son doesn't chose that moment to kick and ruin the mood.

Draco's breathing stutters and he wiggles and shifts until he's on his knees. Joe knows what he's doing and his warm hands land on either side of his hips, helping him into position.

He snickers when Joe groans, obviously enjoying the sight of his arse in the air, and there are pillows being stuffed under his head and right below his belly. He wrinkles his nose; the only downside to that is the come stains on the pillow cases, but it's not a big enough problem to have him move or stop.

He wiggles his hips and Joe groans again, the sound desperate and a bit high pitched with his arousal. "I started but..." he trails off with a low moan when Joe's slick fingers glide in and finish the task he had started earlier. He lets his head rest on the pillow and wiggles around until he's comfortable.

"How's that?" Joe asks a few minutes later, carefully working on relaxing Draco. His other hand hasn't stopped since he helped position his husband, he can't seem to stop touching along every inch of pale, soft skin. He leans forward enough to palm Draco's nipples, chuckling when Draco's breath hitches and he grunts, his back arching to mold against Joe's chest.

Draco's head flops onto his arms and he sighs. "Fan-fucking-tastic," he murmurs. He feels Joe's warm fingers retreat and he looks over his shoulder with a scowl but Joe is quickly shuffling forward. He groans loudly in anticipation when Joe eases closer, one hand on the small of his back and the other clutching his own cock firmly. He lets his head fall back down when Joe eases inside.

"Oh, that's what I needed," he breathes out into his arm and he's not sure Joe even heard him.

Joe stills, hipd flush against Draco's, and runs both hands up Draco's back as he leans down. He shivers as his chest comes into contact with Draco's back and he peppers kisses along the pale neck, his arms now wrapping around Draco to hold him tight while they both adjust.

He feels Draco clench around him and his eyes flutter close. "Don't do that," he whispers. Draco knows that makes him lose control and he does not want that right now. Joe slaps one pale cheek and chuckles when Draco twitches with a strangled moaning, grunting sound. He starts slow and is able to ignore Draco's grunted demands for a few minutes.

He leans down and grabs his husband around the chest and carefully shifts them until they're both upright, on their knees.

Draco gasps, one hand grabbing the headboard and the other reaching back to tangle in Joe's hair. Joe's hand moves his leg just so and his head flops back onto Joe's shoulder as Joe starts to move again. Slow and deep. He can only make sounds of pleasure as each thrust in the new position brushes against his sweet spot.

"Fuck," he moans when he's able to actually articulate words. He moans loudly when Joe's thrusts pick up speed and force. The angle is perfect and he's a babbling, writhing mess the moment Joe's hand snakes down and fists around his flushed erection.

Joe smiles and buries his face in Draco's neck, his breaths coming out in hot pants that only serve to turn his husband on even more by the sound. He runs his hand over the prominent belly until he reaches Draco's weeping cock, gently stroking along the flushed length as he moves.

It only takes a few strokes before Draco is arching against his chest and coming, his body tightening and bringing him over into orgasm. He grabs Draco around the hips and stills, almost unable to move. It seems like hours, but he knows it's probably only seconds, he gently gathers Draco close and eases them both to the bed on their sides.

"Better?" he asks quietly, smoothing his hands along Draco's flank and chest.

Draco nods, his breathing still heavy and slightly uneven. "Yes," he finally says. "Much." He sighs but his breathing hitches at the end as pain lances through his stomach and sides, settling with hot needles in his lower half. A sound of pain comes out before he can clamp his mouth over it and he doesn't even feel Joe slipping out and turning him quickly. He closes his eyes tightly and rubs his stomach, willing the pain to go away.

"Draco? Love? What's wrong?" Joe asks in a rush, moving Draco so he can see his face better. He swallows thickly when he sees pain clearly etched across his husbands face. "Oh god, did I hurt you?" he whispers, his hands fluttering over Draco's body, unsure if he should touch or not.

Draco shakes his head rapidly, trying to breath. "No, it wasn't you," he says through clenched teeth. He tries to breath like Harry and Charlotte told him but it's hard. It hurts so fucking much! Why didn't either of those wankers tell him that? He cracks an eye open and scowls at the terrified look on Joe's face.

"You didn't do anything, love," he says, trying to keep his voice soothing. "I think I've started labor." He grits his teeth as a wave of pain hits him. He wants to complain that it's too damn soon, but he knows better. A week isn't something to panic over.

"Oh." Joe says, relief swamping him. He thought he'd hurt his husband. He'd probably never forgive hims—

"What? Oh! Fuck!" he nearly yells and scrambles off the bed. He's halfway to the door before he remembers they're both naked and covered in spunk. He changes direction and hurries to the bathroom, coming out with a warm washcloth. "Okay, we need to call Charlotte, right?" he asks as he gently wipes Draco clean.

He doesn't ask if Draco is sure, not wanting to piss of his husband or second-guess him. The few false alarms in the past week or so didn't look like this. He carelessly swipes at himself with the cloth and hurries to get clothes. He grabs something soft and loose for Draco, too far into panic to even snort when he realizes he's put his husband in a muumuu. He nearly winces; he'll probably pay for that later when Draco is coherent.

Draco is practically panting until the pain eases off. "Yes, I think so." He lets Joe move him around and dress him, grateful that Joe hasn't picked anything complicated.

He wraps his arms around Joe's neck before his husband can move away. "Thank you," he says softly, kissing him. Joe nods and he doesn't let go. He's already starting to freak out and labor has barely even started. He snickers when Joe just finds a way to get his mobile out of his pocket without disturbing him. His eyes prickle hotly and he buries his face in Joe's shoulder with a soft choking gasp.

"What's wrong?" Joe asks, dropping the phone so he can run his hands down Draco's back in soothing motions. He's fighting the urge to panic and seeing his husband in tears isn't helping anything. Even with the pregnancy, Draco doesn't cry often and it's freaking him out. Is he in that much pain? He fumbles the phone again, tapping the screen and calling Charlotte in seconds.

Draco sniffles but doesn't remove his face. "I'm just... so fucking lucky. You're so amazing and we're going to have a son," he mumbles between sniffles. He gasps as another dart of pain goes through him, fisting his hands tightly in Joe's shirt. He dimly registers Joe talking to Charlotte, finding comfort in the low rumble of Joe's voice in his chest as he tries to breath through the pain. His face scrunches and he wishes he could just swallow a pain potion and be done with it.

"She'll be here in a minute," Joe says, dropping his phone carelessly and using both hands to rub and sooth Draco. He doesn't know if it helps but his husband hasn't slapped him away, so he continues. He doesn't know what else to do. His hands settle and massage at Draco's lower back and he feels a bit more useful when he feels his husband sag and sigh with relief.

Draco nods and the sound of Charlotte apparating right in the hall has him biting back a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Merlin," he pants, just as the pain eases off again. The healer doesn't bother knocking and comes right into their room. He looks up at Joe, again grateful his husband had the mind to dress them both. He's not bashful at all but he doesn't want the healer privy to the sight of his naked man.

"So, it's time?" Charlotte says in a happy voice as she walks over to the couple on the bed. Joe is standing stiffly, looking scared and Draco is kneeling on the bed, resting against Joe with a tight grip on the man's clothes. They both nod, giving her a disgruntled look. She chuckles softly and takes her wand out.

She waves it and clicks her tongue. "You're in labor," she affirms with a charm.

Draco glares. "I know that," he says archly, voicing a low moan in the next breath as pain ripples through him.

"I bet you do," Charlotte says soothingly. "Did you want to do it here?" she asks, looking around the bedroom. She can easily sterilize the space, so she's not concerned.

Draco and Joe share a look. "Yeah," Joe says, shrugging. Draco didn't want to go to a hospital (and he can't blame him) and he knows magic will make anything gross vanish and keep everything clean. He watches Charlotte wave her wand around, not understanding a word but recognizing the weird sterile smell that soon hits his nose from when Harry had Sarah.

"What should I do?" he asks nervously, shifting from foot to foot and bravely not wincing when Draco grabs his hand with a strong, crushing grip.

"You—" Charlotte says, turning and giving the nervous father-to-be a smile, "are doing what you need to be doing." She nods when Joe just nods and settles himself with Draco. She looks around and finds chair, transfiguring it into a birthing table.

She sighs when Draco goes through another bout of pain, unable to do anything for the poor man as he pants and whines. His labor is progressing quickly and he's past the point of any pain relieving potions or spells. As soon as he's through the pain, she has Joe help Draco onto the table.

Time seems to melt for Draco. He's really only aware of pain (no— _agony_ , and he doesn't feel overly dramatic for thinking it) and Joe's stoic warm presence behind him. He's refused to look past the arms Joe has wrapped around his chest, not at all wanting to see what's going on. He can feel plenty, thankyouverymuch.

He focuses on Joe's low, soothing voice, letting it guide and sooth him. Occasionally, he lets Charlotte's high tones in, too, when needed. He feels like he's teetering on insanity, he wants to kiss Joe and thank him for this chance, his family. He also wants to castrate the bastard so this never happens again. He babbles 'thank you's in between each graphic description of how he's going to castrate his husband. Usually with his bare hands or blunt objects.

A dim awareness of Charlotte has him listening to her commands and he smiles gratefully when Joe's hold tightens around him, giving that extra bit of energy and willpower. Thankfully, the healer has been able to do something to numb him, or maybe he's just so desensitized to the pain he can't feel it. A strange, slithery pop sounds and he feels woefully empty. He closes his eyes tightly and refuses to look, sure something bad has happened.

A shrill cry has his eyes flying open and he sits up, heedless of the discomfort it causes. Joe doesn't hold him back, just sits up with him, propping him up once more.

"Is..." he trails off and swallows thickly, throat tight, gaze firmly on the squirming pink thing Charlotte is holding.

He blinks stupidly when he looks at what Charlotte is holding as the healer comes closer. The squalling pink thing is his son! Little face wrinkled up in fury as he cries, dimpled tiny fists waving about.

Draco stares, captivated by the small head of light fuzz and his hands are out and reaching. He feels a moment of panic at holding something so tiny and precious but it's not enough to keep him from reverently stroking a hand over the warm, fuzzy little head. He feels Joe bending over him to get a closer look and he lifts the irate newborn up.

He still can't seem to say anything, his voice choked off by the lump in his throat.

"Draco," Joe whispers, his voice thick with awe and love, gently drawing the backs his knuckles over his son's downy, tiny head and down a pink cheek. He's dimly aware of Charlotte bustling about, doing whatever healers do once the newborn is out and in their parents' arms.

His head flops forward and he rests his chin on Draco's shoulder, watching with stunned disbelief when he notices his husband shifting and moving their son to his chest. The quiet is sudden and almost as loud as the crying had been. Wet sucking fills the room and he's awed all over again; he'd forgotten Draco could do that.

Draco just nods, swallowing a few times and still unable to remove the lump in his throat. He takes a few whistling breaths through his nose and focuses on the warm feeling of contentment filling him as he's surrounded by his family.

He looks up when Charlotte comes closer and narrows his eyes at the grinning healer. "What?" he rasps out.

"Nothing, just... I just wish you could see yourself, Draco. All those doubts you had would seems quite silly," Charlotte says gently, watching Draco shift the newborn to his other side. She smiles brightly when Joe nods his agreement, perched behind Draco and still watching intently.

She digs out the same supplemental potions she had given to Harry and places them on the nightstand along with half a dozen bottles. The casts a warming and preservation charm on the lot and turns back to the couple.

She clears her throat and waits to get both men's attention. "Tomorrow, add half of this—" she holds up the butter yellow, thick potion vial, "to his first bottle. The other half in his last bottle." Both men nod and she pats them each on the shoulder.

Joe looks at the potion warily, narrowing his eyes at Charlotte's amused snicker. "What's that?" he asks, pointing to the vial.

"Nutrient supplement potion. It's perfectly tasty and safe," she assures Joe, reminded of Jake's similar reaction. She doesn't blame either man, really. Potions are usually nasty and vile, but necessary. "I know you both are looking for a nap," she says, stepping away and conjuring a large blanket to cover both men and summons the bassinet. "I'll let everyone know how it went. I'm assuming you'll be more comfortable with visitors tomorrow morning?"

Joe and Draco share a look and Draco shrugs.

"Yeah," Joe says. He feels a little bad, knowing his pack and friends will want to see them but he just can't at the moment. He knows it was the same with Jake and they'll understand, but it doesn't completely smother the feeling he's being unfair by keeping everyone from visiting right away.

"Alright. I've warded the door," Charlotte says, chuckling when Draco looks torn between panic and relief. "With the exception of Luna," she soothes, smiling when Draco relaxes and gives her a small, grateful smile. Joe looks only slightly annoyed. Luna is probably the only person he'd allow near his son and husband so soon. "I know," she says to Joe, nodding at his disgruntled expression he's trying to hide. "But someone has to be able to sneak in with dinner and such."

Joe nods slowly, seeing the wisdom of her words. Luna is the least threatening person and he's well aware of his husbands close relationship with the witch that has grown over the time of his pregnancy. Luna is trustworthy, if a bit odd.

"Um. Harry, too," he adds, feeling shy all of a sudden. Harry is the only other person he'll allow in this soon. "I'd really like him to meet Joey."

"Joey?" Draco mutters quietly. Not even hours old and his son already has a ridiculous nick-name. "Joseph," he says firmly. He rolls his eyes when Joe grins unabashedly.

He winces when there's a sharp pinch on his nipple and blinks when a bottle is already in his hand. He looks up at Joe gratefully and kisses him gently before making sure Joseph (not Joey, dammit) latches on and focuses his attention on it.

~oOo~

Leah and Neville's wedding was, without a doubt, the most elaborate one thrown in the backyard of Spoons Manor. Between Harry's gracious offer to host and Neville's insistence to 'do what you want', Leah planned the wedding she'd dreamed of since she was a little girl.

The tents were up and charmed a metallic platinum instead of the white canvas. Heating charms held the crisp December air at bay.

Every surface dripped with sparkling crystals, soft satin and silks in three different, but somehow complimentary, pinks and enough flowers to make even Neville gape with wonder.

Leah had insisted on formal wear. Every male was dressed in stylish, designer tuxedos. She insisted when she saw Neville modeling one of the choices at the rental store. (No, she didn't give a fuck if it was bad luck to see, she hadn't been able to resist seeing her man in formal wear.) After she'd pulled him into the dressing booth and violated him while he stood in the rented outfit, panting, moaning and flushed gorgeously, she decided he needed to own one.

She knew it was a good decision when every damn person eyed their man with lust and the couples had vanished, discretely in Harry and Jake's case, for about an hour at random intervals. She really couldn't complain, since she'd dragged Neville off for another quick grope and fondle the moment they'd had a free second after their vows. It held up the reception, but who gave a fuck? It was her day.

Every female was draped in silk; a soft rosy pink that complimented everyone. Unsurprisingly, Rosalie and Luna practically glowed in the gowns but all of the women looked stunning. Leah wanted to be pampered and spoiled and felt no shame in making sure all of the women she'd befriended (and embraced into her family) were as well. (And it was just as amusing to see Luna and Hermione wander off, wandering hands stroking softly along the smooth silk as they tried—and failed—to make a casual, subtle exit.)

Leah's wedding gown was something she'd agonized over. When she was a little girl, her perfect gown was frilly, lacy, and white. After trying on nearly a hundred dresses (not really an exaggeration. She'd spent hours, over many weekends with her mom, Rosalie, Alice, Esme and Pansy dress shopping) she'd finally found the perfect one.

It was a soft eggshell color. Silk. Tailored beautifully to follow her curves and flair out ever-so-slightly at the knee. The neckline swept along her bodice in a way that was revealing but modest and the thin straps meant no bra (so worth it). And there was a long train. A really, really long ass train that dragged a few feet behind her. It was removable, so she wouldn't trip over the damn thing and break her ass when she needed to actually move around in the dress later in the night.

Professionals were hired for hair and nails. The group of women cackled like gossiping teenagers and drank champagne while their faces were massaged and layered in lotions and make-up. They gossiped and nibbled on finger sandwiches while their hair was brushed, smoothed and tamed into classy 'up do's'.

There were howls of laughter as Pansy regaled the group of the time she'd caught Blaise bent over in his office desk. She hadn't realize he wasn't alone until Fred's head had popped up from behind and commanded her to 'kindly fuck off, madam. Thank you'.

The ceremony itself had been brief, emotional and wonderful. Neville, surprising no one, had cried softly while he spoke his vows and slid a sparkling band of diamonds and platinum on Leah's slender ring finger. Leah, eyes wet and warm, had muttered a warning about ruining her make-up, but was just as emotional as she placed a tasteful matching band on Neville's ring finger.

She'd smirked and bent Neville over, smacking a loud, wet kiss on his lips when given the prompt. Wolf-whistles and good-natured ribbing followed the couple down the make-shift isle. She gave Teddy, looking adorable and dapper in his own tuxedo, a gentle push towards his dad and Nigel just before Neville swept her down the isle in a bridal hold and kissed her breath away.

By the time Neville and Leah were ready to leave for their honeymoon, the reception was winding down and everyone had gathered to wish them off. It was kind of weird to see everyone looking so casual now. Heels were kicked off, ties were loosened (or tucked into pockets) and hair pins were pulled out. Teddy and Natalie had already passed out and were snuggled into a pile of coats. Joey and Sarah were both lazily sucking on bottles, tucked in their respective father's arms.

It was exactly how it should be but like nothing she'd been able to ever imagine.

Leah took each tight hug with a smile, not-so-secretly loving each and every one. She noticed Neville taking his own hugs and back slaps with good nature, a goofy smile on his face. She smiled warmly as he took a half-asleep Sarah from Jake and snuggled the baby before doing the same with little Joey. It was probably weird to find him sexy, snuggling with babies in a tux, hair messy and dotted with melting snow. But, fuck, it was.

She really couldn't wait to get him alone and he suddenly turned, his mouth moving into a smirk so quickly she almost didn't see it, and gave her a heated look that made her want to squirm and kick her panties off. Fuck, the limo couldn't get there fast enough.

By the time they were finally snuggled together, still panting and flushed, it finally sunk in as reality that they were married. Finally.

A softly whispered, "Good night, Mrs. Longbottom," made her shiver pleasantly and burrow into Neville's chest, sighing softly as his arms tightened around her.

~oOo~

Harry sighs softly as he tries to get a squirming Sarah to sit still without having her little knees or elbows jab his rounded belly. "Sarah," he says, his voice soft but authoritative. He tries not to glare at the direction he knows Jake is standing, wishing his husband would swoop over and hold Sarah for a bit. Jake isn't nearly as strict but he can use the distraction, both for himself and his restless daughter. "Sit still, sweetheart."

"I bored," Sarah whines, her voice a loud whisper. She looks around, looking at the large group of people. Her whole family is here and they fill their backyard. She giggles and waves at uncle Draco and Joey, sticking her tongue out when Joey wiggles his chubby fingers and giggles back.

Harry nods his understanding and smoothes her frilly skirt over her chubby knees. He's glad Alice and Luna had been able to talk his normally independent two-and-a-half-year-old daughter into wearing the filly pink dress.

For all her fussing and pleas to wear her normal jeans and t-shirt (or, more commonly just a pair of cartoon character panties, having inherited Jake's irritation with clothing), she had given up with all the praise and heartfelt comments on how pretty she looked. She looks adorable in it.

Her matching pink Mary-janes flash dully in the sun as she taps her feet together. He's given up telling her not to, apparently his daughter doesn't give a rip if she scuffs her pretty shoes.

"I know, but you have to be a big girl and sit still. It's going to start soon," he promises, smoothing her dark hair down. He grins at the escaping puffs, the rest of her hair valiantly tamed into two small pigtails. He looks across the aisle and points out a placid Joseph and Draco. "Joey is being good."

Usually, it's a tactic that works. She adores Joseph and with the news of being a big sister, she's easily manipulated into good behavior by noticing Joseph's manners or reminding her she's a big girl. Apparently, being a big sister and mastering the toilet were hallmarks of being a 'big girl'. Harry isn't one to argue, especially when he's hormonal and at his wits end with his wiggling, restless daughter.

"Joey is a poop," Sarah says firmly. Joey also is allowed to snuggle his mum even in his nice, stupid outfit.

She tries once more to get into her mum's lap, careful to avoid poking her baby brother and grins triumphantly as she manages to find a perch that's comfortable without squishing anything. She beams up at her mum and hugs him around his belly. She snuggles happily into the embrace when arms come up and hug her closer.

"Is it starting now?" she asks, her face squished against mum's tummy. Sometimes, if she squishes just right, she can feel the baby kick her face.

Harry chuckles and fusses at Sarah's skirt, pulling the material down and covering her exposed panties. Honestly, his daughter needs to learn some modesty before she gets any older and sends Jake into Alpha Dad mode at anyone that looks at her twice.

He looks up and sees a nervous Seth, Jake besdide him looking annoyed but amused. He smiles warmly when Jake sends him a smile as he tries to sooth the younger werewolf's nerves. "Soon, love."

"Soon," Sarah echoes, wrinkling her nose. 'Soon' never means 'now'. She leans around mum's tummy and finally sees aunt Gloria. Everyone is dressed up but aunt Gloria looks so pretty. Her white dress isn't as ruffly as hers but it's pretty and makes aunt Gloria look like one of those creatures in her fairy tale book, just without wings.

"Mum! Look!" she says excitedly, pointing at the back. "I think it's starting!" she says in a loud whisper.

Harry turns in his chair and smiles. Gloria looks radiant even as she blushes and fidgets nervously with the cluster of flowers in her hand. Gregory is standing next to the nervous young woman, a soothing hand on her shoulder, and speaking in her ear. Whatever he's saying calms Gloria and makes her beam a watery smile up at her brother and hug him tightly.

He sniffles as his eyes water, even if he wasn't currently surging with hormones he's pretty sure he'd be tearing up. Seth and Gloria are the last pair to get married and it fills him with warmth to see the couple finally making it official.

He chokes out a laugh when Sarah grabs her tiny pink purse and pulls a wrinkled tissue from it, waving it at him insistently. "Thanks, sweetheart," he says, taking the proffered tissue and kissing her nose. He dabs at his leaking eyes and hugs her tightly for a quick moment.

"Welcome mumma!" Sarah chirps. She hated the stupid purse at first when aunt Rosalie gave it to her. She didn't care if it matched her stupid dress and her stupid shoes. But it did come in handy sometimes. It currently holds tissues for when mummy gets tears (which is kinda often) and a few cookies. She sneaked some away when no one was watching the food table full of desserts.

She looks up and gives her mum a bright smile when she's given The Look. "I don't have cookies," she immediately denies, trying to subtly move her purse away.

Harry snorts a laugh and kisses the top of Sarah's head, really not caring. He knows she'll end up sharing her stolen treats with Teddy and Joey, anyway. "I'm sure you don't. I think you've invented cookie scented tissues," he says dryly instead, snickering when Sarah just looks up at him with wide green eyes full of innocence. Ugh, his daughter is evil with that puppy-eyed look.

He holds his daughter close when the music starts, shifting her on his lap so she can see and not ram an elbow into his stomach. He's only 5 months along but he's round enough to make her habit of sitting on his lap tricky.

"Look!" Sarah points as aunt Gloria walks down the isle right in front of her. She leans forward and whispers loudly "Hi aunt Gloria! You look pretty!" She waves at the smiling bride, proud she was able to tell her she looks pretty. She liked hearing it when she got stuffed into the frilly dress. Even Joey said she looked pretty.

She looks up when everyone chuckles at her, unsure why everyone is laughing. Did she say something funny? "What?" she asks, perfecting her whisper a little bit and able to keep her voice quiet.

Harry just shakes his head, smiling. "Nothing, love. Just... keep quiet, yeah? They're going to start talking soon and it's not nice to interrupt."

Sarah nods. She knows that. She doesn't always remember, but she knows that. She watches, snuggling into mummy's hug, as aunt Gloria and uncle Seth talk to each other. They're both smiling with tears and it's confusing. "Are they sad, mummy?" she asks quietly.

"No, love," Harry says, dabbing at his eyes with his tissue again. He can't hear the vows well, Gloria whispering softly, but he's alright with that. It's only important that Seth can hear. And from the completely gooey, besotted look he's giving the young woman, he can. "They're happy."

Sarah just shrugs. She's seen mummy cry and smile but uncle Seth or aunt Gloria don't have a baby tummy. She waves when daddy looks over and bounces in her spot on mummy's lap when he smiles and wiggles his fingers at her and mummy.

"Are they almost done?" she asks in her perfected whisper.

"Not yet, Sarah," Harry says, fighting the urge to laugh. Or groan. The ceremony hasn't been going on for more than 10 minutes and his daughter's attention span is already ready to snap. "Doesn't uncle Seth look handsome?" he asks, hoping to distract his daughter with a quiet conversation. His eyes water again when Seth tenderly takes Gloria's hand and slides a delicate gold band on her ring finger, kissing the banded finger lovingly.

Sarah leans around aunt Leah's big head and looks up. Uncle Seth does look handsome. She nearly yells out to tell him so when mummy claps a hand over her mouth and gently shushes her. Oh. Right. Quiet.

She pokes uncle Neville's shoulder instead, leaning in close to his ear to do more whispering. "Where's your baby?" she asks in a whisper. Mummy and uncle Draco were both having babies, so uncle Neville should be, too. That would be the bestest thing ever. Uncle Neville is too nice not to have a baby. Lots of babies.

"Not yet," Neville says calmly, aiming a smile over his shoulder at a wide-eyed Sarah.

He looks up to see Harry watching him with raised eyebrows. Damn. Did Sarah know or just making the rounds again, convinced everyone should have babies because Harry and Draco are? It scared the hell out of him the first time Sarah stomped over and declared, with her little hands on her hips, he needed to have a baby, too. Leah had nearly spit her drink out all over the demanding little girl.

"Shh," he whispers, placing a finger against his lips.

Sarah frowns and sits back against mummy. Everyone keeps saying to be quiet. Weddings are boring. She doesn't want to go to another one. She fidgets, fighting the urge to sneak a cookie out of her purse and nibble on it. Mummy will know. And probably make her share... Which, she doesn't mind sharing all that much, but mummy can eat a lot. More than Joey, even; which is a super lot.

"Done yet?" she whines, learning her head back to see mummy.

Harry nods slowly. "Almost," he says as Seth wraps Gloria up in a tight, loving embrace and kisses her gently but enthusiastically. He laughs and whistles when the kiss quickly gets frisky and Gloria's hands drop her bouquet, cupping Seth's cheek and burrowing into Seth's dark, shaggy hair. The pair jump apart with pinked cheeks when Jake taps Seth's shoulder, whispering something.

"All done!" he says, laughing when Sarah claps and cheers. "Stay," he commands shortly when she goes to hop down. He watches Seth lead Gloria about half-way down the make-shift aisle before the pair is nearly attacked by Sue. The older woman is crying freely and hugging the pair to her chest, kissing each of their heads. They both look a little embarrassed but touched by the affection nonetheless.

"Mum," Sarah whines, drawing the 'u' out. She bounces and wiggles. She wants to see daddy. "I wanna see daddy," she whispers.

Harry helps his daughter off his lap and pats her bottom. "Go, see daddy," he says with a smile. He wants to see daddy too, but he can wait. It's been a whopping half hour since he's touched his husband and he can probably wait a bit longer. He squirms in his chair, annoyed he let himself get distracted by his hormones (but, c'mon, Jake in a tux! He's not made of stone).

He leans forward with a grin and taps Neville's shoulder. "So."

"It's true," Neville blurts out, immediately confessing to Harry's knowing look. "We were gonna say next week, at Christmas." Neither he nor Leah wanted to over-shadow Seth and Gloria's wedding with a baby announcement.

Harry squeaks softly, clapping his hands over his mouth to muffle the sound, diving forward to awkwardly hug a lightly scowling Leah and a fidgeting Neville. "I won't say anything," he says seriously.

"Thank you, Harry," Neville says with a relieved smile at the same time Leah says "Fuckin' right you won't".

Harry snickers and hugs Leah again. "Congratulations, though. I didn't know you guys were thinking about kids," he says, watching Leah carefully.

The woman adored her 'nieces' and 'nephews' but she never seemed all that interested in having kids of her own. She's loving and caring, even if she did still forget to watch her mouth around small ears, so he never really understood her reluctance. He respected it, of course, and didn't push and pester the pair with questions.

"We weren't. Not really," Leah admits, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. It feels wrong admitting such a thing to another preggo, but she isn't going to lie. Harry knows her well enough not to think anything bad. "Sorta... surprised."

Harry nods, grinning and then it slowly fades. He looks between the couple, pleased to see them exchanging soft looks and holding hands. "Good surprised?"

"Eventually," Leah says slowly and laughs quietly. "I didn't think I was ready but I've been around your brats enough that the freak out didn't last long."

Neville grins, unable to help himself. Leah's 'freak out' lasted for two weeks and he'd never heard his wife curse so much (or so creatively) before. Which was... impressive. He had started to get worried until she had burst through the front door, tackled him to the couch and said 'fuck it. Let's breed' and proceeded to drive him crazy with frantic hands and filthy mouth. Such a romantic, his wife.

He just hums in agreement, kissing Leah's temple and resisting the urge to lightly stroke her stomach.

Harry smiles, thrilled for the pair. He watches as Jake throws Sarah around, her giggles high and joyous as her frilly skirt billows and flies up. Joey is hopping up and down at his legs and Jake picks him up and starts practically juggling the small children. He has to look away before he can over-react and do something silly. He knows Jake won't drop them but he's paranoid and stuffed full of hormones.

He jumps when the seat next to him is filled with an explosive huff. "Draco," he greets, grinning as he steals some bacon wrapped thing from the plate. He snatches it quickly, his reflexes beating out Draco's move to jerk his plate away. He pops the stolen food in his mouth with a smug grin, chewing with exaggerated satisfaction.

"Potter," Draco hisses, shifting over so Harry can't steal more of his food. The git should feel bad for taking it, not sit there with a smug little look on his face. "Arsehole," he mutters and nibbles on a mini quiche thing that's nearly all bacon and cheese.

He hums happily and rolls his eyes when Harry stares covetously at his plate. "You know, I didn't come here to feed you," he snarks but allows Harry to snatch one of the mini quiches. He rubs a hand over his own swollen stomach and glares at Harry.

Neville snickers at the exchange, amused more than he probably should be to see the pair bickering over snacks. It's not like either of them can't snap their fingers and have their husbands hurrying to comply to their wants.

"What's up, Draco?" he asks, tdistracting the blonde from another rant about Harry stealing nutrients from his growing child. Honestly. He'd summon the whole tray of the mini quiches if he isn't sure he'd end up dumping it over someone's head as it zoomed over.

"Oh!" Draco says, his glare at Harry interrupted and immediately replaced with a bright smile. He bounces in his seat and makes a strange noise that almost sounds like a giggle and a squeak, combined.

Harry, Neville and Leah all share a quick amused look before focusing on an excited Draco.

"It's a boy!" Draco says in a hushed whisper, throwing blue confetti up in the air. The cloud hasn't even settled before Leah is laughing uproariously and pointing at Draco with a shaking finger. "What?" he asks, popping another mini quiche into his mouth.

They had found out months ago but finally allowed Charlotte to tell them yesterday. Joe thought it was a weird way to announce it, but he stands by it.

Leah shakes her head, trying to control herself. Draco is such a drama queen! "Nothing! That's just the funniest shit I've seen in awhile, Draco." She wipes at her eye and smiles, glad his happiness hasn't dimmed in the slightest. "Congratulations," she offers with a small, warm smile.

She touches her stomach and wonders what's she got goin' on inside her. She can't seem to really care either way, except to hope if it's a boy, he's exactly like Neville.

"Thank you," Draco says proudly. "You find out?" he says, looking at Harry curiously and absently offering his plate when the other man reaches for it. He frowns slightly as Harry somehow manages to get nearly the entire puddle of his ranch dipping sauce on his baby carrot, though. Greedy git.

Harry shrugs, crunching his carrot as he looks for Jake. "No."

"Did you want to know?"

Harry shrugs again. "No," he says, waving a hand dismissively. Charlotte manged to keep the scan from revealing the baby's sex, not that he or Jake knew what to look for (besides the obvious, which wasn't actually at all obvious to make out).

"Healthy and active. Sarah's convinced it's a brother," he says, smiling proudly. "I still don't know if she knows or if it's wishful thinking. She adores Joey, so I can see why she'd want a little brother."

He watches as a small hand pops up over the edge of a table and snags a handful of wrapped candies that Bella, for some bizarre reason, had gotten into making and dropped off for the wedding. He snickers when another small hand pops up a second later and grabs more. The pair run off a moment later, Joey clutching Sarah's stuffed purse to his chest. He's glad the baby won't be old enough to join Sarah and Joey in their shenanigans for a few years.

Hopefully by then, he'll have figured out a way to handle three (or four, including Draco's on-the-way bundle of joy) hooligans effectively.

The chair on Harry's other side is filled and he immediately leans into the comforting, firm warmth. "Everything alright?" he asks, tilting his head to the side a little as Jake kisses his neck, a hand stroking down his belly to land on his hip. Obviously Jake is feeling just as sexy as he looks in his attire.

"Yeah, the dance floor is all set up and I think he's just gonna let people do their thing for awhile. The food doesn't come out for another hour."

Harry snickers. Leave it to Jake (and probably the entire pack) to overlook the loaded tables full of snacks as 'food'. He doesn't know who's restocking the serving plates, but he's impressed to see they don't have empty spots for long before more food pops into the spaces. He snickers as Esme watches the with a small moue on her face, obviously feeling left out of the catering process.

He runs a hand down Jake's front, flicking the tiny black buttons. "Where's Sarah?"

"Alice has her, last I saw," Jake says, sounding unconcerned but he looks around to check on his daughter's whereabouts. She's perfectly safe in the house, unable to leave the wards, but he's unable to not look. "Yeah, Alice," he says, smiling as he sees his daughter giggling and walking up the tiny vampire's front, her feet flailing hard enough to knock off both of her shiny pink shoes into the grass. Alice and Sarah giggle like maniacs as Alice kicks off her own shoes.

He pulls Harry closer, sighing softly with contentment as he gently cups their growing second child. He nuzzles Harry's neck, just needing to be close and comforted by his scent—making sure that he's not dreaming. He still has the irrational thought, especially when things are so perfect he could cry or bounce around the room in a sudden burst of giddy energy.

He's got his Harry. He looks his husband over, smiling softly when Harry laughs at something being said. His eyes are crinkled just a bit in the corners as they practically glow with happiness and warmth. He's more grateful than he could ever express to be the one that sees his sexy, wonderful, caring man every day. Harry, probably feeling Jake's intense study, looks over and beams happily at him, his hands settling over Jake's larger ones on his belly.

He feels a burst of gratitude for Harry giving him everything; love, a family, hope. It almost seems like an unfair trade, but he knows Harry wouldn't agree.

Jake notices Joe slide in next to Draco and he sees the exact same thing flickering across his friend's face; the same warmth and gratitude in his warm brown eyes as he looks at Draco. The brief look Draco sends up at Joe is almost too intimate for him to look at and he's glad it's gone just as quickly as it came.

His pack is happy and well cared for. He's as grateful for that as he is for Harry. He felt like a shitty Alpha for awhile but things worked out better than he ever had a right to hope for. He's happy they've found somewhere to call their own, content and happy his pack found their other halves. (Another fact he's grateful to Harry for.)

He seeks out Seth's smiling face and he's indescribably happy for his youngest pack member. He doesn't envy Seth the shortened honeymoon, or the 2 hour commute to school now, but he knows the young man is happy and content, practically glowing as he looks down at his new bride.

It's not something he can doubt when they all phase once a month; their collective happiness is a soothing balm for Remus as well as a reminder for him, as Alpha, not to fuck anything up.

The warmth in his arms and the nudge against his palm reminds him _this is real_. He's managed a happy ending.

Finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ugh, that ending--so corny... But I had to do it that way._ ^_^
> 
> _Translations: *I'm too fat. **I'm too fat and I can't reach my own cock. ***Oh, Joe, just take me. I need a very thorough fucking._


	22. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And, now the epilogue. Or, IOW, The End._
> 
> _Time is going to skip around a bit... but hopefully it'll flow nicely and end things satisfactorily. Enjoy!_

Harry waves as the school bus pulls away, holding William a little tighter than he probably should as he watches Sarah's bus disappear from view. He sighs softly, feeling a bittersweet sort of happiness. It's his baby's first day of school and he suddenly feels old (and the urge for another baby; but he squishes that last impulse).

He went through the morning as usual, managing to keep himself from dwelling on the fact he was sending his oldest child off to school.

He helped Sarah pick her outfit and pack her lunch. He made a massive breakfast (a unanimous shout of joy over pancakes too hard to ignore) and he made sure everyone had backpacks (Natalie and Teddy catching the bus from his this morning) and their school things. But it didn't really hit him until he saw the bus pull away that his eldest is officially in school.

Officially a Big Girl and no longer his precious little baby girl.

He's proud, of course, but he's going to miss having his Sare-Bear home with him.

It didn't help he hadn't been able to deny her firm request to ride the bus 'like a big girl'; he didn't often give into her big, green puppy-eyes but he had been powerless when it came to something so 'normal'. (And if he checked the bus register and route before agreeing, Sarah didn't have to know.)

He probably would have embarrassed her with hugs and weepy eyes at the drop-off, so it was probably for the best. He's a bit envious Draco got to drive Joey, the little boy too nervous about his first day to argue when Draco made it clear he was being dropped off, his face set in the stern expression that Joey (as well as all of the children) knew not to bother arguing with.

"What should we do all by ourselves, Willy?" Harry murmurs, snuggling the toddler, smiling a little when his snuggles are enthusiastically returned.

After weeks of deciding, he and Jake both liked William James as the name for their first born son. A name that combined both of their fathers names, even if Billy tried to protest that Harry's father should have the honor since he was (as Billy put it as respectfully as he could) 'still kickin',' and it wasn't hard to agree to. He still isn't sure about the nickname 'Willy', but 'Billy' just confused his son since that's what everyone calls his grandfather.

He's hoping William takes advantage of the chance of his full attention and the opportunity to do what _he_ wants. Sarah usually comes up with activities since William didn't seem to care and _he_ didn't care what they did either, as long as they spent time together.

William looks up at his mum, smiling around the thumb in his mouth, and shrugs. "Park?" he offers with another shrug. He doesn't whine when his thumb is gently pried out of his mouth and just settles back against his mum's shoulder.

"That might be nice," Harry says with a hum as he closes the door. It's not yet too cold to play outside and he knows how much William likes the big slide at the local park. "Right, well, in that case we need our shoes and jumpers." He sets William down on the floor and watches with a smile as his youngest hurries to get his shoes on. "Scorp!" he calls out.

Scorpius runs to the top of the steps, holding the railing before Uncle Harry can remind him. "Yeah!?" he hollers, giggling when he sees Uncle Harry's head pop out by the end step. He didn't wanna go with father to drop off Joey; he wanted to stay here with Uncle Harry and Willy and he's glad he did.

He holds the railing as he hurries down the steps. "Yeah?" he asks again, jumping down the last two steps.

"We're going to the park. Get your shoes on," Harry says, chuckling when Scorpius punches a fist in the air with a whoop and scrambles towards the closet alongside William. "Should we bring lunch?" he asks as the boys concentrate on getting their shoes on. They haven't mastered tying laces, but they can usually manage slip-ons on their own with little problems.

Both boys wriggle around, their tongues poking out of the corner of their mouths as they concentrate on working their feet into their shoes. He squats to help Scorp get his shoes on the right feet. He watches William for another moment before helping him, too; glad his hands aren't gently pushed aside so William can do it himself. He's latched on to his older sister's way of thinking: he's a big kid that can do anything. All by himself. More often than not, it's not as true as he wishes it to be and cause for a fair amount of frustration and occasional tantrums.

Scorpius and William share a look before they both grin and shout 'yes!', bouncing and eagerly agreeing to a picnic. They follow Harry into the kitchen, bouncing and whooping as their picnic basket gets filled with sandwiches, treats and juice boxes. They watch, wide-eyed, as things float around and land in the basket. Magic is so cool!

"Don't forget the cookies!" Scorpius pipes up when he notices the basket being closed without them.

Harry rolls his eyes but adds a small packet of biscuits to their picnic lunch. "Right," he says, casting a cooling charm on the food. He ruffles each of their heads, one pale blonde, one a messy dark brown, and sets the basket to float behind him. He passes out jackets, helping both boys with their zippers.

"Let's go tell daddy we're leaving, yeah?" He gets two nods and they all head out to the garage, both boys running ahead since they know the way.

Jake pauses, mid-turn of his wrench, when he sees two pairs of little feet scamper past the car he's working on. He slides out from under the car with a chuckle, attention on the boys and nearly knocks Harry down. Before he can offer an apology, the air whooshes out of his lungs with a grunt when two little boys land on his stomach and chest.

"Oomph!" Wiggling little limbs and giggles take up all of his attention. "Did you come in just to abuse me?" he asks, grabbing both little squirming boys so they don't tumble off.

"No, we're headed to the park. I just wanted to let you know," Harry says, watching Scorpius and William bounce on Jake as they giggle like maniacs. He winces a little when a small foot comes dangerously close to Jake's crotch, but otherwise, he's amazed (as he usually is) Jake manages to roughhouse with the boys in such a way no one gets hurt _and_ they're kept off of the dirty garage floor.

Jake nods and pries both little boys off of him, and sets them on their feet. He smiles when Harry Vanishes the small greasy spots he's put on the little troublemakers.

He's a little concerned; the park is close enough to the rez, he worries Harry and the boys might run into one of the old pack. They're stalled in a tentative truce at the moment but that doesn't mean he trusts most of the pack members any further than he can throw them. He has no doubts Harry can take on any of the old pack, even without magic, but he can't help feeling a niggle of worry.

Actually, it's probably more realistic to worry about whichever dumbass approaches his husband... It's worse than poking a momma bear with cubs, really. Well, just about literally, he muses with a private grin.

He sighs when Harry, obviously having some idea of his thought process (and seeming not at all hesitant or bothered), gives him a smug look. "Yeah, alright", he mutters to the silent chastisement. "You monkeys have fun!" He gives each little boy a poke in the belly, making them go into a fresh bout of giggles and squirming. He gives both a playful pat on the butt so they'll get moving, wanting a moment alone with Harry.

Jake waves as they run off, Scorpius leading the way as both boys race to the car. He watches them climb into the car, small heads bouncing for a moment before they settle in their seats, before he turns to Harry.

He wipes his hands off as best he can and cups Harry's cheek. "Be careful, okay."

"I will," Harry says seriously, knowing better than to joke about the issue at the moment. Jake looks really concerned. "Nothing will happen and if it does—" He shrugs carelessly, raising one hand. "I'm really not helpless this time around." He's got full use of his magic and he's fit enough after chasing after 4 kids (6 when Teddy and Natalie visit) daily. He's not at all concerned.

He leans up on his toes, pulling Jake down the rest of the way, and kisses his husband, giving him a reassuring pat on his chest as he pulls away. "We'll be back by twelve thirty or so, I don't want to miss Sarah's bus."

Jake didn't think Harry was helpless the first time around, either. He's glad it wasn't tested, but he has every confidence Harry would've given Paul a new orifice to shit from if he'd actually pushed hard enough. Even without the use of magic, Harry would have been vicious... which is an oddly arousing thought, even after all this time.

"How did that go, by the way?" he asks, pulling Harry close when he sees that proud but sad look on Harry's face.

He'd watched the bus pull away from the garage, his chest feeling full with pride but tight with a hint of sadness; Sarah started her first day of school. He had waved, just in case Sarah was watching, and grinned happily when he saw her little hand waving enthusiastically from one of the rear windows. He knows Harry is proud as well, but missing their little girl being home. And a baby. And all theirs. He does too but he's excited to see her grow, as well.

"It was fine," Harry says with a sigh. "She was so excited, didn't even give me a hug good-bye," he says morosely, fighting a pout. He had bent down, arms out, only to have Sarah run from the house when the bus came into view. At least she yelled 'Bye mum!' over her shoulder...

Jake chuckles softly at the mournful look and holds Harry for a moment, forgetting about his greasy overalls. "She'll burst through the door and give you _two_ hugs when she gets home. You know she will," he says soothingly. Harry just nods, gives him another quick kiss and leaves the garage with a wave. He doesn't go back to work until the car pulls away and he can no longer see it as it passes the curve in the long driveway.

Hopefully, he's worrying for nothing and his boys will just have a normal, fun day at the park.

By the time everyone is finally in bed; all four kids tired after a long day at the park and their first day at school (Sarah did indeed burst through the door, nearly knocking Harry over in her zeal to give him two hugs to make up for her missed chance that morning). He's not sure why he had been worried earlier. Harry's already asleep, his body still cooling from their lovemaking and pressed against his side in his usual spot and snoring softly. He sighs quietly, content and tired, and gathers Harry closer, looking forward to tales of a second day of school.

~oOo~

Harry winces as a loud crash sounds from upstairs. He looks towards the ceiling with a quiet sigh and gets up, marking his spot in his book. He knew the quiet was too good to last... He should know by now that kids and quiet usually equals bad things.

(The last memorable time he had found Sarah covered head to toe in marker 'tattoos', curtsey of a helpful Joey. In hindsight it was rather adorable, even if she had a green tinge to her skin for almost a week.)

He checks make sure the noise hasn't roused Amelia—Luna and Hermione's adopted daughter. Thankfully, the 10-month-old is a sound sleeper and she's still asleep, absently sucking on a dummy every so often. He quickly casts a muffling charm around the bassinet (just in case there's any more loud bangs) and heads up the steps, not even trying to be quiet.

He snickers when he hears hushed voices and scurrying feet just on the other side of Teddy's door. He lets the door drift open and stifles the urge to laugh. "What's all the ruckus?" he asks, leaning against the doorjamb.

Teddy, Natalie, Sarah, Joey, and William all freeze, their heads swiveling around at the same time to look up.

Scorpius looks around the gathering of kids as they all still, confused as to why they've all gone quiet. He looks up too, realizing an adult is now in the room and smiles up at his uncle when he sees him standing in the doorway.

"Hi!" he chirps, wobbling unsteadily as he twiddles his fingers in a wave. He grins, recognizing the expression on his uncle's face as one he makes when he's trying not to laugh. He waves again, pin wheeling his arms a little when he wobbles again.

"Hi, Scorp," Harry says, trying very hard not to laugh.

Scorpius is absolutely adorable! Even if (or maybe _because_ ) he is dressed in his aunt Gloria's old wedding gown—complete with shoes and veil. He sees Natalie tucking something behind her back and can only assume the make-up painted on Scorpius' lips, pale cheeks and eyelids is her handiwork.

"So, what's going on?" he asks, looking at each kid. They've all got a slightly guilty expression on their faces, which are rapidly melting as they all take in his own trying-not-be-amused-but-failing look. He's not upset, at all really. They've managed to keep the make-up on themselves and there isn't a mess to speak of, except for the dress-up clothes scattered around the room.

It's all rather funny actually. Especially since Scorpius is happily going along with the whole thing. He supposes there are worse ways they could be spending a weekend afternoon...

Natalie steps forward, glaring over her shoulder at a pushy Sarah when her cousin nudges her forward, making her the group's spokesperson. Being the oldest kinda stinks sometimes. "Uh, hi Uncle Harry. We was playing dress-up."

"So I see. And why is _Scorp_ the one dressed up?" Harry asks, merely out of curiosity. Natalie adores wearing Angela's heals and make-up and is usually the one toddling around in grown-up clothes and declaring herself a princess. Sarah tends to prefer helping Natalie get into her various costumes, but she can't resist anything that's frilly and overly girly. He's rarely seen the boys get in on the activity unless they were wearing costumes of superheroes or soldiers and whatnot.

He stifles another snicker when he realizes Scorpius has on a wig that he's pretty sure is meant to be worn with the Thor costume. On closer inspection, he snorts softly, realizing it's actually one of the many princess wigs—the tiara tangled in the yellow plastic strands a dead giveaway.

Natalie shrugs, gaze sliding over to look at Scorpius for a moment. The little blonde is positively swamped in the billowing fabric, the thin straps of the gown falling down to his elbows. He looks so cute! "He wanted to."

"I see," Harry says, allowing a smile this time. He doesn't know the proper way to respond and fights the urge to snicker again. Or take pictures. He doesn't think Draco or Joe would really care to see Scorp in a dress (and wearing make-up) but he's probably supposed to gently steer them towards something more... appropriate. Or something. He can't seem to bring himself to do it though; they all look so cute and happy playing together.

He's also curious about something else... "Where did you get Aunt Gloria's dress?"

Natalie bounces over to fluff the thin, wispy layers of fabric, giggling when Scorp dutifully spins around, wobbling a little. "She let me use it for dress-up!" she gushes, still unable to believe Aunt Gloria could be so absolutely cool.

It's so awesome! Her mom thinks Aunt Gloria is nuts to let her old wedding dress be used in such a way, but Aunt Gloria had only shrugged claiming she was only going to wear it once. And since that one time had passed, why not let the girls have fun with it. Auntie 'Mione put a charm on it so they can't rip or stain it, though. Just in case.

" _And_ the shoes?" Harry asks, rolling his lips together to keep from laughing again.

Poor Scorpius is wobbling and shuffling around in the too-big shoes. The heels are modest, Gloria doesn't wear them habitually, but they're still high enough to have Scorpius wobbling around as he tries to balance on them.

"Get those off, Scorp. You'll break something," he says gently, watching as Scorpius does a bunny-hop out of the shoes and shuffles over towards him. He plucks the wig off his head, laughing softly when the little boy's fine blonde hair frizzes up in a puff around his head. He helps Scorp smooth the fly-away strands.

"How about you lot find something else to do, yeah?" he asks. He fights a frown, realizing he's completely forgotten to investigate about the crash earlier. He looks around the room, quickly, unable to see anything that might have made the noise on the floor. He wonders if it had only been a wobbly Scorpius... but the little blonde doesn't look hurt, so he probably didn't fall down.

They all share looks, Sarah stepping forward and giving her mum the I Want look. "Can we make cookies?" she asks slyly.

"Sure," Harry says, barely even thinking about it. Biscuits are a fun way to get the kids attention for awhile, even if they tend to go into sugar overdrive for a few hours. "Help Scorp out of the dress." He snickers, unable to believe he's had to say such a thing.

The kids all gather around the little boy, carefully helping him out of the dress before running out of the room and down the stairs in a cacophony of pounding little feet. He grabs a change of clothes for Scorpius, he doesn't want the little boy in just his Captain American underpants. He manages to catch Scorpius before he can bounce down the steps and gets him dressed.

He snickers again, amused more than he probably should be that Scorpius is still wearing make-up. Draco is either going to laugh or refuse to allow him to watch his kids ever again... He's just relieved Leah and Neville's twins, Frank and Bobby, aren't amongst the group at the moment. They're good boys but they tended to like more active ways to entertain themselves.

The mental image of the boys rough-housing in dresses is amusing, though.

Another check shows Amelia still peacefully sleeping and he gently relocates the bassinet in the spare room since it's the closest once with a functioning baby monitor. He sort of hates the damn thing, but he always feels better when he can hear rousing babies. Especially since Amelia isn't all that used to sleeping here with all the other kids banging around the house.

Of course, he couldn't say no when Luna asked him to baby-sit, even if they had been a little nervous leaving her to go on a trip for their anniversary. He only had to remind them of the hoard of kids he kept alive, on a daily basis, four times before they finally relented and actually went.

He doesn't mind keeping an eye on the little girl, especially since Natalie and Sarah adore her and help out frequently. He's only a little nervous with Amelia because _Amelia_ is nervous. She's still settling into the large family and the chaos they bring. Her favorite people (besides her mums) so far are him and Joe—the only people she's completely calm with and able to sooth her when she gets a mind to scream and cry. She's growing to adore Teddy, dazzled every time the little Metamorphmagus amuses her with a color show, his rapidly changing hair color and styles captivating the little girl.

He's pretty sure the little girl will be able to do magic, even if the adoption agency had labeled her a squib, because there are small wild bursts of magic when it's just him and Amelia. He's waiting before telling Luna or Hermione until he's has concrete proof, though. He knows they don't care either way; the adopted and love her regardless of her magic status (and earning _more_ of Gloria's adoration, somehow) but he knows they'll be pleased.

Harry makes sure Amelia is comfortable, checks that the monitor thingy is working and heads into the kitchen. He enters with a flourish of his wand, laughing when the gathered kids all whoop and clap. He waves his wand to gather ingredients, grinning when the kids whoop and cheer even louder as things bounce and dance over towards the counter.

He starts mixing, using mostly his hands instead of magic now, and the kids all start whispering excitedly amongst themselves about the day they can get their own wands.

"I get to go tomorrow!" Teddy says in an excited whisper. He puffs his chest out when he's given looks of pure awe by the younger kids. Sometimes being the oldest is pretty cool. "Dad says I should have one before I start my magic classes."

He thinks it's cool that the American schools have schools for magical kids starting from kindergarten, even if you don't learn any of the _real_ magic stuff until you turn 11 and can finally get your own wand (like Hogwarts).

He feels like he's been learning about everything _but_ magic until now and he can't wait. Math and reading is fun, but he wants to know how to make flour and butter float around like Uncle Harry.

Natalie nods, her curls bouncing. "Mine too!" she says, bouncing on her toes a little. "My dad says I'm getting mine next week," she says, bouncing a bit more. Her bounces pause, as she remembers her mom can't go. It's so dumb that Angela can't see the stupid store just because she's a Muggle. So lame.

"Oh!" she gasps, grabbing Teddy's sleeve. She giggles softly behind her hand when his hair changes into a soft pink to match his cheeks and he leans in closer. "Do you think we'll still be in the same classes?" she asks in a whisper.

She's nervous about being split up from Teddy when they get sorted for their magical courses; they go by groups from this point on. So far, she's had him at her side and it's been reassuring. She doesn't know _how_ they sort the groups, probably by magical strengths or something, and she's worried they'll be separated.

School, magic classes or not, will totally stink without Teddy.

"I dunno," Teddy says sadly, realizing for the first time they very well could be separated. He doesn't want get split up from Natalie, either. He knows they'd still see each other around (and have lunch together), and he does have other friends at school, but he's closest with Natalie. Plus, she's pretty shy and he doesn't like the thought of her being all by herself.

"I heard they give you a choice if you got more than one group you fit in." He's not sure how they test you (probably not a manky old hat, though) and he's suddenly wishing he knew, not that he'd try to fudge the test or anything.

Natalie perks up, a small smile on her face. "Really? I hope so," she whispers. Teddy being a Metamorphmagus will probably effect his magical sorting but she hopes she can still be grouped with him.

Her daddy said she has quite a strong magical core (Healer Smith said so—and she would totally know because she's a super smart doctor), so maybe she's worrying for nothing. She twists her fingers in Teddy's sleeve, giving him a shy smile of gratitude when he shuffles a little closer.

"C'mon," Teddy says, wrapping an arm around Natalie's shoulders and leading her into the kitchen. Scorp and William are already sneaking bits of cookie dough whenever Uncle Harry turns his back to get ingredients, soak something in the sink or check the oven. He doesn't want to miss his chance at getting his (and Natalie's) share before Uncle Harry wises up or bakes it all. "We'll find out at school Monday and we'll see there was nothing to worry about."

Natalie nods and hops up on a stool, grabbing some dough so she can make it into a cat. She loves cats and hopefully her cookie will turn out better this time. Last time, it looked more like a lumpy bear.

* * *

"Dad!" Natalie bursts through the door, a wide smile on her face. She skids to a stop as she sees him lounging on the sofa, her mom's head in his lap. She covers her mouth and tip toes in the rest of the way into room. Thankfully, she didn't wake Angela with her exuberant entrance. "Oops," she whispers.

Greg just smiles and pats the seat next to him, waiting patiently as Natalie settles herself—primly smoothing her jumper, skirt and even her stockings with prissy precision.

"Alright," he says as loudly as he dares. "What's so exciting that has you bursting in the house, screaming like a wild banshee?" he asks with a smile.

"I'm in the same group as Teddy!" Natalie says in a hushed squeal, waving her fists around. "The test was so easy! We had to try to float some string. Or change it into something else," she says, leaning forward in excitement. She's glad she didn't have to wear some moldy, talking hat like her daddy and uncles did. It sounds creepy knowing accessories can read your mind and soul. "And mine turned pink!"

Greg laughs quietly. He doesn't understand how that sorts the children into groups but he's happy Natalie is grouped with Teddy; she had been worried about being split up from her friend for weeks. Truth be told, he'd been a bit concerned too; his daughter is sweet-natured, but still reserved around strangers. He doesn't know if it's exactly healthy for her to only spend time with Teddy (and her other 'family') almost exclusively, but he fears her being all alone even more.

He smiles warmly at his daughter, pleased to see her so happy. "That's wonderful, sweetheart," he says warmly, smoothing a hand over her hair and kissing the top of her head

"Yeah," Natalie gushes. "And Teddy, his string did this little loop thing and then it turned _yellow_ ," she says with a giggle, clapping her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound. "It was so funny," she says in a whisper between her fingers.

Greg just nods along, not having a clue what she means but happy to hear the news anyway. "So, that all means... What?"

"We're both in Bradbury*!" Natalie says with a small eye roll. Really; she's had the paper stuck to the 'fridge for _weeks_. It lists the different magical focus classes and the six possible groups. She's excited to be in Bradbury because Sarah is that group, too. Joey is in Howe**, but they still see each other around school and at lunch.

Also, unlike her daddy and uncles' old school, each group gets along just fine. They don't fight and argue about which group is better, 'cause they're all good and have different strengths. She's really happy there isn't a house just for mean little gits—whatever _that_ means.

She's _super_ excited to be in Bradbury because her teacher, Mrs. Poplar, says most of the registered Animagi in America come from that group. It's so cool to think she could be one, too. Hopefully she'll be a cat... Or a lion! Or maybe a tiger. Just any kind of kitty would be excellent. Her and Leo could climb trees and pounce on moles and the wolves together. Teddy would probably be a big ol' happy puppy or a wolf like his dad and uncles (which sounds OK, too, but she hopes _she's_ a cat).

She giggles, rocking delightedly on the sofa next to her daddy. "I love magic," she sighs happily, leaning against his arm, snuggling in when he lifts it to cuddle her close.

Greg just hums softly in agreement, completely content to just sit there with his girls.

~oOo~

Harry sits down heavily on the bed, still feeling lightheaded and a little nauseous. He presses a hand to his stomach and closes his eyes. "Damn," he mutters.

He's not upset, he's just not sure how to tell Jake. He wrinkles his nose, the lingering taste of the nausea potion still slicking his mouth and the back of his throat. He hates the vile stuff but it _does_ work and he's relieved he had some in the cabinet. He jumps a bit when Jake enters the room, a towel covering his head, the door banging against the protective wall-plate in his exuberance.

"'Damn', what?" Jake asks, walking out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his hair. He pauses, one eye peeking out of the towel when Harry just looks up at him, looking slightly pale and a little worried. He gets the impression he isn't supposed to have heard that but it's not _his_ fault his husband forgets he has really good hearing—especially from one room away.

"You alright, babe?" he asks, shuffling closer and leaning in to look at Harry a little closer. He drops his towel carelessly, his concern for his husband's welfare over-riding the annoying habit of damp towels on the floor at the moment.

Harry nods, gulping when the motion makes his stomach roil. Nerves twist his guts and the potion sloshes around in his stomach and he's tempted to just throw up as a distraction. (Or maybe he should just distract his conveniently naked husband with slick hands.)

Damn potions are supposed to work faster than this...

"Mhm," he answers, keeping it short. He shifts on the bed and wrings his hands together. He doesn't know if it's a good idea to say anything right now without seeing Healer Smith first; to make _sure_ before they both go into panic (or planning) mode.

"What?"

Harry takes one look at the worried expression on Jake's face and sighs, laying back on their bed. The look on Jake's face is a clear indicator he's not going to be able to avoid voicing his suspicions; his husband will only start fussing and fretting now. He wants to snicker at the euphemism, but Jake can be like a dog with a bone—not letting something go until he's satisfied he's seen it through.

"I need to see Charlotte."

There; that's honest without giving Jake guesses and half-baked ideas. Belatedly, he realizes that's entirely the wrong thing to say. Did he honestly think him talking about their healer would _calm_ Jake? He groans softly when Jake goes still, his eyes widening with alarm.

"Why?" Jake asks in that slightly high-pitched tone that says he's now edging into _worried_ , and crawls onto the bed next to Harry. "What's wrong?" He shifts to straddle Harry, bending over enough to look his husband over again, closer this time. He notes Harry's pale face, the subtle but noticeable (even if only to him) stink of a nausea potion still lingering and the slight change in his scent and things click together rapidly.

He gasps softly as he sits up in surprise and his gaze slowly slides down Harry's body to settle on his stomach. Any feelings of concern puff away and are quickly replaced with a cautious sort of joy.

"Really?" Jake asks excitedly, reaching out slowly. He gently strokes a hand over Harry's t-shirt, lifting the hem enough to touch the warm, bare skin just above Harry's waistband. He sees a flutter of muscle as Harry's abdominals twitch at the contact.

He feels a giddy excitement rush through his body and he flattens his palm over Harry's lower stomach, ready to turn into a quivering puddle of goo when Harry's hand covers his for a moment. He looks up, meeting Harry's eyes and waits as patiently as he can for an answer.

Harry can't help but glare a little at his enthusiastic husband, but the intensity is reduced when Jake gently strokes his belly with his fingertips. There's a soft look on his husband's face, absolutely radiating adoration, and he can't hold on to even that little bit of earlier irritation. Leave it to Jake to react in the complete opposite way he had expected him to. He was sure Jake would be pleased, at some point, but they hadn't planned... There is so much going on and he thought Jake would only get stressed out with even the hint of another baby on the way.

" _Probably_ ," he stresses, a hand sliding down his chest to rest on his stomach, wrapping his hand around Jake's wrist. He waits until Jake looks up, meeting his eyes. "I have to check with Charlotte first."

"But still," Jake says slowly. He's not at all convinced they need Charlotte's expertise at the moment. He can just _tell_. And by the way Harry's acting, _he_ can too but he's trying to be realistic and rational. Responsible or some shit. But he's too excited to worry about being a mature adult (and soon-to-be father of _three_ ).

"We've been through this twice already, you have _some_ idea," he points out, trying not to bounce around with excitement. Harry is still looking pale and a little green around the edges and he'd probably get a mild hex somewhere if he jostled him around too much.

He carefully leans in to get closer again and rubs his hand along Harry's stomach, thrilled and mentally squeaking like a complete dork when he hears Harry sigh softly and relax at the contact. He watches Harry's eyes flutter closed and a smile pop up on his face and he grins; in his opinion, that reaction is as good as Charlotte doing the charm thing and announcing a positive result when things go all purple.

Harry is always receptive and sensitive to his touch but more so when pregnant; especially his lower stomach, right by his belly button. He wants to bury his nose against his husband's skin and inhale deeply. And kiss him all over. Maybe nibble him in those spots that always has Harry making the best noises. He doesn't—for now—because Harry is giving him that look (just before his eyes flutter closed again) that says he's thinking Jake is his loveable idiot.

He grins goofily at his husband, making sure it's clear he _is_ Harry's loveable idiot—his lovable idiot that's thrilled they're having another baby.

Harry smiles a little. "Yeah," he admits. He opens his eyes and slowly turns his head. "We really should be better at planning this sort of thing by now," he says, his lips twitching. He's not exactly looking forward to the upcoming bouts of nausea, swelling and mood-swings, but it's a small price to pay in the long run. And it doesn't last forever (though it might _feel_ like it at the time).

He gives Jake a warm look and he's sure Jake is thinking along the same lines when he sees a string of emotions flicker across his face. None are bad, thankfully, but he's probably remembering urgent needs of sweet and sour pork and hot sauce at 3 AM. The poor baby. He'd feel bad, honestly, if Jake ever complained or looked less than thrilled to be helping out (even in that small way).

"Maybe," Jake says, shrugging. He doesn't care, not really. He'd have a dozen kids if Harry is willing (and able). He strokes along Harry's stomach again, smiling. He's happy, ecstatic really, at the thought of another baby. It doesn't completely banish his worries about his dad's failing health, but he's still thrilled. "So, we'll call Charlotte to confirm," he says, nodding.

He shares a long, warm look with Harry and grins again.

Harry rolls his eyes with a smile when Jake puffs up a little with pride, a definite preening sort of vibe coming off his husband. Goofy Alpha werewolf. He's relieved Jake is happy, though.

He slowly sits back up, pressing up close to Jake's chest. He's no longer feeling nauseous and by the heated look that immediately pops up on Jake's face, his husband can tell. He gives Jake a push, just a gentle nudge against his chest, and grins when his husband rolls off of him and flops down to lay next to him. He props himself up on an elbow and slides a leg up Jake's—stopping to rest on his hip in a half-straddle.

He shifts a bit closer, pressing his growing arousal into Jake's hip. "You are some sort of pervert, you know that," he says softly, amused and suddenly turned on. He'd blame the ( _possible_ ) hormones but it's really just down to that sexy arse look on Jake's face. And the fact that his husband is completely naked and ever-so warm. He'd probably have to be dead not to be affected.

"Mhm," Jake hums, not caring; even if he's a pervert, he's _Harry's_ pervert. It's arousing on every level to know Harry is having another baby— _his_ baby. He just can't seem to help it. It's not like _all_ pregnant people turn him on; just Harry. "It's probably all that... testosterone and wolf instinct," he murmurs, sliding a hand over Harry's hip and using it to pull his husband into a kiss.

He intends for it to stay adoring and loving, a sweet, soft press of lips, but Harry's licking into his mouth and nibbling in no time, making him groan with his own quickly rising need.

He goes willingly when Harry pushes against him, rolling them both, and lands on top of him. He groans softly, unable to help it, when Harry's knee works between his legs and presses against him rhythmically while a wicked tongue and fingers work him all over at the same time.

"Fuck yes," Jake moans, grabbing at Harry's hair and pulling him into another kiss.

He's not sure when Harry was on top last, but he's more than willing. He's missed it, actually. He pulls back, his face flushed. He grins when Harry gives him that 'you sure?' look and wraps his legs around Harry's waist, his heels hooking around the back of Harry's calves.

He's pleased to notice the nausea is entirely gone and Harry's bulging jeans are pressed against his naked groin. He grins again; he's missed Harry's Horny Hormones, too.

"Fuck yes," he murmurs again when Harry's hips roll, bringing their erections together. The friction of denim against his naked flesh is amazing and he grunts out a moan at the feeling. The pressure is just right and the friction is just shy of chaffing.

He groans at another quick, hard press and knows Harry isn't in the mood for tender lovemaking or even playful shagging. The look in those green eyes says he better hold onto the headboard and prepare himself for a thorough fucking. He mentally nods; he's so ready.

"Hold on," Harry says, Vanishing his clothes with a whispered wandless twitch of his finger. He grins when Jake moans and twitches, the other man still very much affected by his magic. Probably more so now—the effect has only seemed to intensify over the years.

"More?" he whispers, nipping at Jake's neck where it meets his shoulder. He doesn't even leave a mark but it's enough to make Jake almost purr and buck up against him.

His hands are already sliding down Jake's firm chest, pausing a moment to briefly tug and tweak each pebbled nipple, to wrap around his fully hard cock. He pumps, hand already slick, and he sweeps his thumb over the flushed tip, spreading the large sticky bead of pre-come around. In no time at all, there's a slick-sticky mess between their bodies and the slick-wet sound is only turning him on that much more.

Jake nods, trying to prepare himself for another burst of magic. But he can't, not really. Between Harry's ministrations and magic, he's moaning loudly as the tingling, pleasurable wash of magic sizzles over him again as Harry's hands slide under his thighs, pushing him wide open. He eagerly spreadi as far as he can go. Harry's warm, slick finger slides up and down between his cheeks. He pushes into the probing finger, silently urging Harry to continue.

He sucks a breath in between his teeth when two fingers are immediately wriggling inside. He arches and pushes back, loving the sensation. There's no burn, just a slick heat that makes him want to groan and beg. Goddamn does that feel good.

"Fuck," he moans, arching into Harry and pulling him down sharply for a messy kiss.

Harry knows Jake adapts faster than he does so he doesn't pause to double check when Jake's hands dig into his arse cheeks, pulling him closer and urging him to continue. He stops at three fingers, knowing that's how Jake likes it, and teasingly brushes the head of his cock along Jake's slicked crease. They both grunt at the sensation and he repeats it a few times, in the mood to tease—even if only briefly.

He smirks when Jake's hands wrap around his hips and try to shift him; make him move, go faster or do _anything else_ but tease him into a panting mess. It's not often he sees Jake like this and he takes a moment to just enjoy it. He rolls his hips just right and Jake's next frantic pull on his hips, both feet sliding up the bed up to add more _oomph_ behind his shoves, has him sliding inside in one smooth glide. He tries to pause but Jake is impatient, his hips are already moving in an effort to just _go already_.

Harry chuckles breathlessly, shifting his arms so he can hold himself up better. He works to still Jake, sliding his hands up Jake's lightly trembling thighs and squeezing gently.

"Fuck, Jake, I need a moment." Jake nods and he lets his forehead rest on Jake's chest, needing a little more than 'a moment'. It's been some time since he's wanted to bury himself inside his husband and it's a little overwhelming to be surrounded by the slick, tight heat of him. But, _fuck_ , it feels amazing.

"Yeah... 'kay," Jake sighs, tucking his feet back behind Harry's legs and resting his hands on his husband's hips. He gently strokes along the lightly muscled ridge of Harry's lower stomach. They share a warm moment, leaning into each other for a kiss. Identical soft sounds of pleasure and affection are muffled in each other's mouths. Mumbled 'love you's, and gentle nuzzles seem only appropriate in the calm moment.

He runs his hands down Harry's back, his touch slow and reverent... until he pinches that still-perky ass. He laughs softly when Harry rears back with an indignant squawk, eyes slowly narrowing. The tender moment is gone (for now) and he grins up at the heated, challenging look that quickly settles on Harry's face. He slowly reaches up and wraps both hands around the edge of the headboard and smirks.

He's long ago stopped wondering how Harry is able to move and shift him to his whims; he just goes with it. Harry's hands slide down his legs in a quick fondle before returning to his calves, shifting and adjusting him to Harry's desired placement. He allows himself to be spread wantonly, and his entire body jumps with the force of Harry's thrusts when he starts to move. 'Hng' is really the only semi-coherent sound he makes as Harry moves.

Jake watches through half-lidded eyes as Harry leans back, hips working in a fluid rolling motion that has Harry slamming perfectly against that fantastic spot inside of him. His toes curl when Harry's head turns and kisses the sensitive part behind his knee. He shivers as Harry's tongue slides along the delicate skin in an slow, erotic swirl before he peppers kisses along the length of his leg that can be reached. He has no idea why that sends sparks through his body, but it does and he moans.

Loudly.

His legs are gently dropped and Harry bends forward without pausing. Their chests and bellies press together, slick and hot and perfect. "Oh god," he moans again, his eyes rolling back. The slick friction is trapping his cock perfectly. He's _this close_ to wrapping a hand around himself, even if he knows Harry would have smacked his hand away with a growl.

Harry watches Jake's head arch back, nearly disappearing into his pillow, and he can't help but latch his mouth onto the tempting column of his neck. He clamps his teeth lightly around Jake's Adam's apple, nipping and licking over the hot, sweaty skin.

He groans and buries his face in Jake's neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of warm, musky sunshine. A continuous babble of 'fuck's, and 'Jake's are muffled so he can hear grunts and the bed smacking the wall over his own harsh breathing and Jake's keening, growling (almost whimpering) sounds.

He moves up enough to find Jake's lips, a passionate kiss muffling Jake's loud sound of pleasure as he comes. He's too keyed up to last any longer—he just can't hold out against the rhythmic tightening and that hot splash. He stills, his hips twitching a little, and he just grinds up against Jake as he rides out his own orgasm.

His sags as they both calm down and he finds himself stifling the urge to giggle for some odd reason. He flops down, draping himself over Jake's flushed chest.

"Goddamn Harry," Jake breaths, a breathy chuckle bubbling up as he wraps heavy, limp feeling arms around Harry's shoulders.

He pokes his husband when there's no response, other than a heavy sort of breathing. "You alright?" he whispers, trying not to laugh when Harry squirms weakly and makes a breathless giggling sound. How can the man be so adorable after so thoroughly liquefying his brains and body with sex like _that_? It should be totally contradictory... And illegal.

Harry hums and tilts his head just enough to flutter a line of kisses down Jake's neck and chest. "Yeah. I think that came from my fucking toes," he mumbles, pausing half-way through to yawn. He feels Jake nodding in agreement and hums happily, a smug smile on his face.

He hums again, already half-asleep when Jake's sleepy voice reminds him to call Charlotte later. "Mhm."

Later is better.

* * *

It comes as no surprise when Charlotte tells them the good news. It also comes as no surprise when Charlotte offers the same good news to Draco and Joe (since the pair have made it a regular thing to weasel in on the healer's visits).

~oOo~

Harry stares blankly at the wall, trying to focus on the faded pea-green color and not the reason why his small family is gathered in the stuffy waiting room at the local Muggle hospital. The entire pack (Remus and Nigel, having returned early from their anniversary/holiday trip) has been squeezed into the small-ish room for hours.

Waiting.

Even if he's tired of being here, he's relieved they've all gone home for some food and proper rest a few hours ago. Leah had to practically drag her mother back to her house, only able to budge the older woman with promises of being able to stay with her and Neville in their spare room and coming back bright and early tomorrow. Sue's sheer exhaustion helped, since Leah was able to manhandle her mom easier when she was too tired to fight back.

Harry comes out of his thoughts and he absently shushes William, the little boy making a half-asleep fussy noise and perched awkwardly in his lap. William still hasn't gotten the hang of how to sit in his lap around his growing belly (made more awkward because he's forced to wear a glamour over it and there's the added annoyance of the lack of a visual reminder) and he's tempted to switch kids with Jake. Sarah is asleep, though, and he really can't bring himself to risk waking her.

He shifts carefully to lean his head on Jake's shoulder and nuzzles him softly. He can feel the tension in his husband's shoulders and he wishes he could do more to help. "Did you want anything?" he asks, breaking the quiet after a few minutes.

He needs to get up and move or he'll seize up into one big body cramp. Or go mental. He's ready to go out of his mind from the boredom and stress. His bum is falling asleep and his lower back is starting to twinge.

"No, I'm good," Jake says, his hand unconsciously going to sooth Sarah in his lap when she stirs at Harry's voice. He watches Harry stand with a bit of an effort and maneuvering and gently place William on his vacated seat. He's tempted to do the same with Sarah so he can pull Harry close and massage his, no doubt, aching butt and back. Harry isn't wincing or making it known, but he knows his husband well enough to know it's an issue.

Plus, he could use the extra comfort right now and he's not all that embarrassed to admit it. He knows Harry would willingly crawl into his lap if it was empty, but he's content enough to hold and subtly snuggle his daughter for now.

He realizes Harry is just standing there, giving him a patient look, and he manages a small, sheepish smile. "Maybe some coffee?"

He's running on adrenaline at this point and even that is starting to ebb away. He's exhausted but jittery and restless. The thought of falling asleep before the doctor can come out makes him want to pace around and rub his gritty eyes until they're stuck open. Everyone else has gone home by now, not that he blames them, and leaving it all on Harry doesn't sit right with him.

Jake rubs gentle circles on William's back when the little boy stirs, probably aware on some level he's no longer on Harry.

Harry nods and leans down and gives Jake a soft kiss, cupping his cheek for a moment. He feels terrible that they can only sit here and wait but he'll do it. And no matter how badly he wants to be in his own bed, he refuses to leave Jake to wait alone.

He wants to offer encouraging words but he can't quite manage it—none come to mind. Telling Jake that his father will be fine just doesn't feel true, so he can only be here for his husband and hope for the best.

He slides his hand back along Jake's jaw to gently squeeze the back of his neck. "Be right back," he murmurs and tries not to waddle as he walks away. Since the hallways are deserted, he doesn't refrain from massaging the small of his back, rubbing some feeling back into his bum. He wishes Jake's hands were doing the job but it helps a little.

He doesn't know how long he stares at the hot beverage vending machine, sort of in a half-asleep trance as he studies the pictures and options with a half-hearted concentration. Honestly, it all looks dreadful and he longs for a proper cuppa. He eventually pushes enough change into the slot for two coffees (which smells burnt) and a hot chocolate (that's a weird, rather 'unchocolatey', brown color but smells palatable enough). He sighs and carefully balances the three cups in his hands and makes his way back to the waiting area.

Harry nearly drops the cups when he hears the distinct sound of both of his children wailing. He hurries as fast as he can, which isn't very fast considering his glamoured-but-still-there belly and trying not to slop the scalding liquid on his hands. He hastily sets the cups down and pulls a sobbing William up and off an overwhelmed Jake.

"Shhh," he murmurs, soothing a hand down Willy's back.

"I'm sorry," Jake says looking up at Harry miserably, his voice coming out hoarse and choked. He doesn't know why he wasn't able to calm his kids down; he's usually able to. Sarah's sobs are down to sniffles now that she sees Harry and she's straining in his arms to get to him. He gently lets her go, feeling absolutely useless as he watches her carefully climb into the remaining part of Harry's lap and bury her face in his neck, her hand fisting in his t-shirt.

Harry shushes Sarah, rubbing at her shoulder with his other hand. "It's alright, love. What happened?" he asks, looking to Jake. He wants to smack himself when he sounds tired and overwrought (well, he _is_ , for fuck's sake); like he's blaming Jake, instead of merely curious.

He hates the guilty look that settles on his husband's face and gives an apologetic smile. He really doesn't blame Jake, not even for panicking or having a moment of trouble with their kids—he's had his own such moments.

He manages to free a hand and slots their fingers together, ignoring the pain when Jake squeezes his with panicky tightness. He just sits quietly, waiting patiently for Jake to speak.

"Willy had a bad dream or something and woke up with a jump. He ended up kicking Sarah and woke her up. They started fighting, so I yelled at them. Then they started calling for you and... then they started crying. And I... I couldn't get them to calm down."

Harry nods, feeling terrible for spacing out and being gone for so long. "Oh, Jake," he sighs when he sees Jake's eyes get shiny and his chin wobble a bit. "I'm sorry, love. I'm here." He manages to scoot over a chair and pulls Jake against his free shoulder. "I shouldn't have left," he murmurs, smoothing down Jake's shaggy hair and kissing his forehead.

"Go ahead," he says softly, feeling Jake tremble with the effort of holding back. He lets go of Sarah when she wriggles and he smiles at her proudly when she snuggles into her daddy, patting Jake's cheek in an effort to calm and comfort him.

"I'm just so tired," Jake chokes out. Harry murmurs "let go" and he does—he's just too tired and stressed out not to. He probably couldn't hold it back any longer even if the little, dreary waiting room was full of strangers (or his pack). He tries to let the tears out silently, but he sobs a few times, his chest hitching almost painfully. He buries his face in Harry's neck, relaxing as much as he can when a hand gently slides into his hair.

He's so _tired_ —of waiting, of sitting in hospitals, of trying to reassure Sue that she won't be left alone. He realizes even Sarah is now murmuring soothing words to him, patting him where she can reach, and it opens the floodgates. He should probably feel ashamed he's crying like a baby in front of his daughter, but he can't help it.

Harry sits quietly, letting Jake have a moment. He remembers the crying fit he had his fifth year and he can only imagine how much worse Jake feels; he's on the verge of losing his remaining parent, the one that's raised him since he was a little boy. He doesn't know what else to do, so he just rubs on Jake's back, kissing his head gently and softly murmuring soothing sounds and words as his husband slowly calms down.

He figures the stress and exhaustion have caught up with Jake when he realizes the tears and harsh sobs have only stopped because he's fallen asleep.

"Will you snuggle daddy?" he asks a now wide-awake Sarah. The angle he's bent at is starting to hurt.

"I will, momma," Sarah says importantly, nodding. She's confused why daddy is sad but she knows snuggles and hugs always make her feel better, so she'll do that for daddy. She works her way into daddy's lap and wraps her arms around his waist as best she can and presses her cheek tightly to his belly.

She hums a nonsensical tune she learned from Aunt Luna, patting daddy's back gently to make sure he stays asleep.

"Is daddy sad because gran'pa is sick?" she asks in a whisper, looking up at her mum with sad eyes. She vaguely remembers hearing about grandpa being sick. She shifts to look up at her daddy; she'd be very sad if her daddy got sick, so she sort of gets why he is so sad now.

Harry nods sadly, soothing William back to sleep. Thankfully, his fitful shifting stills and the little boy goes limp and snores softly once more. "Yes," he says simply. He strokes a hand down Sarah's wild hair, absently trying to tuck the loose fly-aways back into her barrettes. He feels his eyes burn and prickle when she buries her face into Jake's stomach and squeezes him tighter.

"Is gran'pa gonna die?"

Harry blinks, and a small sad smile quirks his lips for a second. He sometimes forgets just how grown-up his daughter is. He sighs softly, nuzzling against Jake when he shifts a little in his sleep. "I don't know, sweetheart. He is sick, but I don't think he's going to die just yet."

He's tempted to outright lie—tell her grandpa will be fine and dandy—but he'd never forgive himself if Sarah got mislead and hurt by it. He hated hearing that sorta shit when he was growing up and he doesn't want to do that to his own daughter. She's old enough to have a basic understanding of things.

And if not, they'll have to talk about it. He idly wishes it was only a small brush with death, a hamster or something, but lets the thought go just as quickly.

"Oh," Sarah says. "Good. I like gran'pa," she declares, squeezing daddy and patting his back gently when he makes a sleepy noise. "But Teddy said he's really sick and would probably die," she says in a whisper. Teddy had been really sad since her grandpa was almost like _his_ grandpa, too. Grandpa Billy even lets some of them sit in his lap as he wheels around, but she's way too big now. "Can't we just give him a potion?"

Potions are so gross, and she's totally lucky she doesn't have to take them very often, but they can do _any_ thing. Even make you turn into an animal for a whole hour!

Harry shakes his head sadly. He wishes it's that easy. "No, baby. Magic potions don't work on Muggles, remember?"

"Oh," Sarah says quietly. She worries her bottom lip. She forgot grandpa is a Muggle, even though daddy isn't (not really, but kinda sorta in a really confusing way). It's so not fair! Magic should work on Muggles!

"Can we see gran'pa?" she asks after a few minutes of silence.

Harry looks down the hall, towards the nurse's station. He can't help send a glare in the general direction; they've been waiting for hours! Someone should have come out at _some_ point, even with just a 'no change'. "Not yet."

"'Kay," Sarah sighs sadly.

She wiggles a hand free and gently rubs mummy's belly. Even a kick from the baby doesn't get her smiling as big as it usually does. "I hope it's a girl," she says, for probably the hundredth time. Every time she rubs mummy's belly, she wishes for a sister. Aunt Luna said she was silly for doing it, babies aren't boys or girls from wishes she says, but she still does it. Just in case. "Don't you?"

Harry chuckles softly, rubbing his belly too. The room is deserted, so there's no one there to wonder why he and his daughter are, essentially, rubbing air. "I guess that would be nice, yeah? Too many boys in our house," he says, laughing quietly, when Sarah's nose wrinkles and she nods as enthusiastically as she can with her cheek against Jake's chest.

He hums thoughtfully, rubbing at his belly as he thinks. He's pretty sure it's a boy but he really doesn't want to squash Sarah's hopes. "But one more boy won't be so bad, right?"

"Ugh. So gross!" Sarah says dramatically and huffs, her dark bangs fluttering. Boys smell funny (like dirt and farts— _gross_ ) and they do the dumbest things!

She goes still when a nurse pops her head into the waiting room and taps mummy's arm. "Nurse lady," she whispers when mummy turns to look at her. If she isn't so worried about seeing the nurse, she'd giggle at how quickly mum's eyes widen and his head whips around.

Harry struggles under his pile of sleeping bodies, but thankfully the nurse rushes around to stand in front of him, laying a hand gently on his shoulder to keep him seated. He stills, watching the woman pull the chipped table closer and perching on the edge carefully.

He swallows a few times, but his words still come out in a hushed whisper. "How's Billy? Mister Black?" he adds, just in case she isn't directly involved and wouldn't know the first name.

"He's fine, for now," Anna says, smiling warmly. The relieved expression that Mr. Black's ( _Harry_ , she reminds herself; he'd been politely insistent since there are two other 'Mr. Black's present) face slowly settles into is heart-warming. "He had slipped into a diabetic coma but he's now just resting."

She looks at Jake and her smile falters. "I'm sorry we've kept you waiting for so long, but Doctor Weber had hoped for good news and waited a bit longer..." she trails off, suddenly feeling really bad. Billy Black's vitals had jumped around for the past two hours and she understood Dr. Weber's optimism and she's very relieved she's out here with good news.

Harry waves a hand gently. "It's fine," he whispers. "I'm really glad there's good news. I reckon it was worth the wait," he says with a small smile. "Do you know when he'll be allowed visitors?"

Anna shifts nervously, knowing she's about to give less-than-good news. "He'll be out until the morning, he's been sedated to make sure he doesn't shift around too much," she says, not having to say aloud he's attached to machinery and various life support systems. "Why don't you go home and get some sleep?" she asks gently, smiling wanly at the sleeping group leaning on the man. It's really rather adorable but sad at the same time—a sight she's no stranger to, unfortunately.

"And, I'm really sorry, but children aren't allowed in the ICU." She looks between the two small children. They're both gorgeous and she's amazed the couple were able to adopt siblings (and even more amazed the kids look like they could actually be theirs). The little girl's green eyes are almost identical to Mr. Black's, only with warm golden flecks around her irises.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she says, realizing the little girl is awake and giving her full-blown puppy-eyes. (Good lord—those are dangerously powerful!) She quickly looks back to Harry. "Once he's moved out of the ICU, it won't be a problem if you want to bring them for a visit, though."

Harry nods in understanding. "Alright, thank you." He gently nudges Jake awake, snickering quietly when he starts, quickly sitting up with a snort. He lays a calming hand on Jake's thigh, squeezing gently. "The nurse is here, love."

Jake blinks rapidly, trying to banish the remnants of sleep and he looks around wildly until he realizes the nurse is right in front of him. "How's my dad?" he asks in a rush, rubbing at his eyes. They're all gritty and puffy and he's sure it's obvious he'd been crying. Thankfully, the nurse (Anna—he thinks that's her name) doesn't mention it. She's probably seen it lots of times.

"Hello Jacob. Like I told Harry—" Anna gives a small smile, "He's fine at the moment. He had slipped into a diabetic coma, it was a little rough there for awhile, but he's stabilized and resting comfortably now." She leans forward and pats his hand twice. "He'll be out until the morning, so why don't you head home and get some rest?"

Jake nods dumbly, relieved beyond words his dad is OK. Even if only for now. He smiles warmly at Harry, bringing him close and kissing him gently. "You weren't gonna leave me sleeping on these chairs, were you?"

"Probably not," Harry snickers. He smirks when he notices the nurse watching them with wide eyes. The pink in her cheeks is a little discomforting but he finds he prefers slightly-creepy staring over glares or nasty words. His smirk melts into a warm smile when Jake gently cups his cheek and he leans into it with a little nuzzle.

"C'mon, let's get the monsters home," he says, shifting William to his shoulder with a soft grunt. "I got him," he says pointedly when Jake goes to take him. He nearly rolls his eyes, as if he can't handle his child. Even with a bulging baby belly. "You get the heavy one," he says with a smirk, pointing at a drowsy Sarah. Her eyes are blinking slowly, the blinks becoming longer as her head droops a little every so often.

Jake huffs good-naturedly but scoops Sarah up gently, easing her head against his chest. "Thank you," he says, nodding at the nurse. "When do visiting hours start?"

"Normally at eight AM, but we're a bit more... relaxed in the ICU. So, whenever you'd like to stop in. I wouldn't expect him to be up until about—" She checks her watch, "ten AM or so, so there's no real rush. We'll call if it's sooner," she adds quickly. "And, like I told Mister Black," she says, nodding at Harry before turning back to Jake with an apologetic look, "Visitors must be over eighteen."

Jake nods. He's disappointed but he understands. His kids are noisy little germ machines on a good day... And while he wishes they could see their grandfather, he'd rather wait until his dad isn't attached to lots of machines. That would probably only freak them out, anyway. He knows he's going to be freaked out and he's an adult for crying out loud.

Plus, it seems like a morbid thought; like it would be the last they'd see him. He is not going down that thought path right now. He simply can't.

"Alright, thanks."

Anna watches them go, sighing sadly. This is the fourth time in as many months that Billy Black has come in and she's starting to get worried one of these days he won't be leaving. She waves, smiling a little, when she notices Sarah peeking over her daddy's shoulder at her with sleepy eyes. Sarah waves back and she just watches the small family leave with a heavy heart.

Harry tucks William in and eases out of the boys' room, gently tucking Scorpius' stuffed dragon back into the little blonde's arms on the way. He shuffles down the hall towards his own room with a wide yawn, rubbing at his hair tiredly. Merlin, it's been a long day and he's sure they're going to be up early. If it isn't to see Billy, he'd grumble and refuse.

He absent-mindedly scratches at his belly and shimmies out of his sleep pants the second he closes his bedroom door. He crawls into bed, draping himself along Jake's side and sighs with contentment and the utterly wonderful sensation of finally being in his own bed and pressed comfortably against his husband.

* * *

It's a week before Billy is home again. Thankfully, they hadn't had to bring the children into the hospital to visit their grandfather (at his insistence; as much as Billy loved to see the kids, he didn't want them in a hospital).

Jake paces the hallway, his hands shoved in his hair. He grunts softly when he sees Harry staring at him from their doorway. He thought everyone was in bed.

"Sorry," he murmurs, pausing long enough to give his husband an apologetic look.

"Don't be," Harry says, waving a hand dismissively. He puts himself right in Jake's pacing path and wraps his arms around his waist, resting his cheek against Jake's chest. "He's home and doing fine, love."

He can only guess that's what has Jake up, pacing the hallway, at this hour. He's been a right mess since Billy was admitted into hospital and it's only gotten worse; even after the older man was discharged and sent home in relative good health. He hasn't seen Billy's cheeks this pink in awhile and he's feeling optimistic. He wishes Jake could as well.

Jake nods, swallowing past a lump in his throat. He sighs softly and rests his cheek on top of Harry's head. "I know. But for how long? I'm so fucking scared, Harry. I'm terrified it won't last," he whispers. "It's getting shorter and shorter," he adds, referring to his dad's healthy periods.

"However long he's meant to be here, is how long it'll be," Harry says quietly. He hates saying that—he knows it's not at all comforting but he's at a loss of what to say. He squeezes Jake a little tighter when he feels a shudder work through his body. "I'm so sorry, love." He doesn't know what else to say. He's never really had to wait like this before. It almost seems worse than someone dying suddenly. "I'm terrible at this," he says with a wet sniffle.

"No," Jake murmurs, running a hand along Harry's back. He knows so few people that's dealt with death as often as Harry and he appreciates his efforts at soothing him. He feels a bit like a dick, but he appreciates the honesty and lack of bullshit he hears from other people. He knows his father will die (even if it tears him apart inside) and he doesn't appreciate when people try to skirt around the issue.

He heaves a heavy sigh, a small smile fluttering across his lips when he feels Harry's rounded belly pressing against him as he does. "You're fine at this. I'm just terrible with death."

"Everyone is," Harry mutters. "No one takes it easily, no matter how many times you go through it. Well... sociopaths might do, but they don't count." He leans back and looks up at Jake. "Did your dad say anything about his final wishes?"

Jake nods. He appreciates that Harry gets he needed to know that. With the exception of Draco and Joe, most of his pack tried to have him think 'positively' and not dwell on it. Right. Like _that's_ possible.

"Yeah, I talked it over with Sue and she said we could sorta trade off? I mean, I know I'd probably flake out on like the memorial service and shit, so." He pulls Harry back against his chest and lets loose a shaky sigh.

He's still not sure which parts Sue will need his help with, but he's not going to flake out on her when she needs him. He knows he can always have Harry help. That's definitely one of the perks of marriage; roping one's spouse into shit like that.

"Yeah, we got it all figured out. My dad is a sick bastard, did you know that?" He feels Harry shake his head and chuckle softly. "He picked his own urn. He didn't want nothing fancy, he said. I'd like to know how black marble isn't _fancy_ ," he says with a scoff.

Yeah, it's an expensive one (probably the _most_ expensive one they saw) but he had to laugh when his dad preened and said he looks good in black. He just nodded and went along with whatever his dad wanted. How could he not?

"I bet Draco talked him into it," Harry murmurs against Jake's chest. Billy deserves black marble, but he's not the sort of bloke that would automatically pick something so... ostentatious.

"Probably," Jake says, chuckling despite himself. He's quiet for a long moment, just standing there holding Harry and enjoying his warmth and comfort. "Are you sure Charlotte can't do anything?"

Harry closes his eyes, willing them to stay dry. "I'm sure," he says quietly.

He had asked Charlotte about it the first time Billy wound up in the hospital. The healer hated to give him the bad news, he knows that, but she had said there was little Magic could do for a Muggle disease. Especially one as progressed as Billy's. He wholeheartedly agrees with his daughter: it really sucks Magic can't heal Muggles.

"I'm sorry, love."

Jake nods. He knows—he just had to check. Again.

Eventually he pulls himself from his thoughts and leads Harry back to bed.

~oOo~

Harry pauses as he enters the kitchen. Draco is sitting at the table, a slip of parchment clutched in one hand, a clump of tissues in the other and his eyes are red-rimmed. His blonde hair is sticking up like he's been running his fingers through it a few times.

"Everything alright?" he asks, rubbing a hand along his belly and scratching in gentle circles. God, he forgot how badly it could itch. He shuffles closer to Draco, already anticipating the answer when Draco looks up.

"No," Draco says, his voice thick with tears and wavering even on that short word. He wordlessly hands Harry the letter from his mother and has to hide his face in his hands when he feels the threat of tears hit him again. Hard.

He hadn't expected to be so affected and he can't blame it _all_ on pregnancy hormones. He's just as far along as Harry this time 'round and—embarrassingly—he's the more weepy one (this time 'round). A flurry of kicks has him smoothing a hand over his own rounded belly, sniffling wetly and trying to compose himself.

Harry reads the elegant sloping script, his eyes widening as he gets to the end. It's surprisingly short and he's a little offended on Draco's behalf his friend had to hear about his father's death in such an aloof way. He's not sure if that's because Narcissa hadn't cared to add more or if she'd been unable to—unwilling to let her emotions show in her words or a messy hand.

"Oh fuck," he whispers, rushing to sit next to Draco. "Oh, Merlin, I'm so sorry, Draco," he says softly. He runs a comforting hand down Draco's arm.

"Thanks," Draco whispers, his voice muffled with his hands. He chokes out a sob and he's not at all surprised to feel himself being pulled against Harry.

He doesn't even care his hair is being further mussed when the other wizard's hands caress and pet at him like he's one of their sobbing children with a stolen toy or a skinned knee. He sort of feels like one, so he doesn't protest or kick up a fuss.

"I can't believe it," Draco mumbles against Harry's shoulder, sniffling wetly.

He's mostly upset he'll never have a chance to see his father again so he can smugly parade his amazing husband and wonderful kids in front of the judgmental old bastard. Or, maybe, even try at reconciliation (if Lucius ever became addle-brained enough with age). He squeezes his eyes shut, a fresh wave of pain going through him when he realizes he shouldn't think that way about a dead man.

Harry just nods, quietly soothing Draco as best he can. "Why didn't your mum floo or come tell you in person?"

"I think—" Draco pauses to lift his head and wipe at his eyes. "She's too upset to be able to tell me in person." Harry gives him a flat look and he scowls lightly. "You know how my parents are. Were. Whatever... You know my mother isn't one to allow herself to be seen as weak," he says quietly.

He understands why Harry is asking, and a part of him wishes his mother had floo'd over and they could have holed themselves up somewhere and grieved _together_. In private.

"She loved him, Harry," he adds, quietly. "I'm sure she's devastated and will need some time to herself."

Harry can only nod. Whatever else he could say about the elder Malfoys, they had loved each other. It was hard to deny when he remembers the hardships they both put up with to remain a family. He still thinks it's an odd way to tell someone their father has died, but then again... Narcissa knows Draco wouldn't be alone; he has a large family to comfort him and he won't be left to grieve alone.

Suddenly, he feels terrible for Narcissa. "Draco, is your mum— Is there anyone there for her?" he asks, looking at Draco with a sad expression. He can't imagine how terrible it must be for the witch to be all alone in Malfoy Manor.

"No," Draco murmurs, rubbing at his eyes again. He hates knowing his mother is all alone in her grief, but he also knows that's how she wants it. She takes stoic and coolly aloof to insane measures and there isn't a damn thing he can do about it. "She'd even kick the house-elves out if she felt the need for a cry."

Harry sucks his teeth lightly. "That's absolutely ridiculous, Draco." He also swallows the urge to ask how Lucius had died—the letter didn't say—but he knows Draco doesn't know, either. Even if his opinion of the man isn't the best, he hopes it wasn't too horrible. If only for Narcissa and Draco's peace of mind.

"Maybe, but that's just how my mother is," Draco says with a slight shrug. He turns to give Harry a look, "So, do not get any stupid Gryffindor Ideas about showing up on my mother's doorstep and trying to hug her. Or giving her one of those bundt cakes. She'd probably keel over from shock and horror."

Though, she'd find a way to manage if Harry made one of those chocolate chip bundt cakes; those things are amazing. Even his mother would consider accepting a hug for one.

Harry smiles a little sheepishly. He had been thinking of doing almost exactly that. "Fine," he huffs when Draco only gives him a smug, knowing sort of look. Git. He doesn't know everything. "She said there'd be a funeral on Friday."

"Yes, I had noticed..." Draco trails off.

He's not worried about the timing, or being able to attend. But he is worried about the trip itself. He's going to go, no doubt, and so will Joe and their two boys. He knows Harry will want to come. Which means Jake will come and that automatically includes their two children. The Manor has space, naturally, but he's not sure how comfortable his mother will be with sudden guests—noisy guests, at that.

"Do you think the entire pack will come?" he asks dryly, but he's half serious.

He wouldn't put it past the entire group wanting to come to support him. The thought warms him thoroughly but he can't imagine his mother's reaction to _that_. He knows such a large, boisterous group would test even his mother's iron-strong mask of indifference.

She'd either crack a smile or be forced to make them leave so they didn't know how affected she was.

Harry thinks for a moment, then shrugs. "No, they didn't know your father. They'd go if you wanted them to, though." He knows Draco doesn't want that, mostly so they don't completely overwhelm the Wizarding world with their numbers. Or his mother with handsy, hug-demanding Americans. "Hermione and Luna will probably only go if you ask," he adds, quietly.

"I know," Draco says with a soft sigh. Both witches are dear, close friends but he can't imagine asking such a favor from either of them. Neither hold especially warm memories of either of his parents and there is no way he'd ask such a thing. "I wouldn't ask that of either of them. Even if they get along with Mother a bit now, I can't imagine they'd be comfortable at the Manor or amongst my father's peers."

Harry just nods. He's not exactly looking forward to going but there's no way he'd let Draco go through this alone— well, without _him_. He knows Draco's boys and Joe will go no matter what. He gives Draco another comforting squeeze. He hadn't expected to be getting such news.

Honestly, he thought they'd be mourning Billy before Lucius, but Jake's dad has been doing wonderfully since his last visit to hospital. He doesn't think anything Charlotte has offered (mostly just to feel like she did _some_ thing to help) by way of Healing charms, salves or potions (none foul, he had noticed with a little jealousy) had actually helped, but he's happy for the perk in the man's health.

"Well, I should tell Joe," Draco sighs, wobbling from side to side gently as he tries to get his mobile from his back pocket. He ignores Harry's snicker; the bastard is just as ungainly!

He stares at his mobile for long moments, contemplating just what the hell he's going to say. He knows Joe won't be a bastard about it, even if he never had any warm and fuzzy feelings for his father, but he's temporarily at a loss.

He looks up when Harry's hand settles on his arm again. "Hm?"

Harry takes the phone from Draco's relaxed hand and finds Joe's number. He taps out a quick message and hands it back to Draco. At the blonde's questioning look, he shrugs. "I only said to come home. I didn't say why."

"Fine," Draco huffs, trying not to be annoyed. He still has to tell Joe what's going on and he's not all that sure how long he can keep from crying all over his husband. Joe is working with Jake today and he's walking into the house in moments. He takes a deep breath as he hears Joe approach the kitchen.

Joe peeks into the kitchen, curious as to why he's being called home in the middle of the day. Not that he minds. But since Draco is in the kitchen, and not their room, he's sure it's not for a romp to settle his horny husband down. He briefly glances at Harry, giving the other man a smile, before looking back at Draco.

He then notices the redness around his husband's eyes and he's at his side a moment later. _"_ What's up?"

Harry looks to Draco and sees the blonde merely bury his face in Joe's stomach and looking at him expectantly. He nearly huffs, a little annoyed at the Draco's willingness to let him do the dirty work. "Draco got some bad news. His father passed away."

"Okay," Joe says slowly, unsure how he's supposed to react. In all the years they've been together, Draco hasn't had a kind word to say about his father and he certainly didn't have a high opinion of the man himself. But still; it's Draco's father. He knows he'd still be affected if his own bastard of a father were to pass away.

He rubs at his eyes and sighs softly, his hand dropping to gently caress the back of Draco's neck. The very idea of his heavily pregnant husband being in a grief-induced stress makes him panic a little.

Harry shrugs, looking at Draco again. The blonde is still silent, content to let him and Joe talk about his father without his input. Git. "I think he's more concerned about his mum, honestly." He looks to Draco again and he just stares back passively. Harry rolls his eyes; like he'd think less of the git if it were true? "Well, It's true, right?"

Joe just hums thoughtfully, carding his fingers through pale hair. Draco isn't speaking so he's content to just quietly give his support. He's used to his husband's quirky ways and the tight grip on his waist lets him know Draco needs him, even if he's not saying anything.

Draco's mother, on the other hand, he _almost_ likes. The witch has made an effort to get to know him and their children and he can't think badly of her, regardless of her prickly, proper personality.

Any time he thinks the woman is made of stone, he catches a smile on her face when she thinks no one is looking. He doesn't get her urge to seem aloof and proper even when it's just them, but he's stopped pestering Draco about it when his husband only shrugs and mutters 'it's just how she is'.

"When's the funeral? Uh, you guys do have funerals, right?" He knows it's a dumb question, but he's curious. He wonders if they do some sort of weird magic ritual over a dead body... or something. He hears a snort and shrugs to himself. He doesn't feel dumb; he's learned to not assume a damn thing when it comes to magic and the things wizards do.

Harry laughs softly, despite himself. "Yes, we have funerals. And it's Friday." He looks towards Draco again, and he's contemplating leaving the room if Draco doesn't open his mouth soon.

"Alright," Joe hums thoughtfully. He can easily take the time off, even if it is extremely short notice. There isn't any chance he'd let his pregnant husband go across the world, alone, for a funeral. " _Wait_ — Is it safe for you both to be traveling?" he asks nervously.

As much as he realizes this is important, he'd have to refuse if there is any risk at all to either wizard, but especially his Draco or their baby. If it is and Draco is that worried about his mom, he'll go get her and bring her to him if needed.

"It's safe, as long as we're flooing," Harry says. He wants to roll his eyes, as does Draco, at the over-protective nature of their husbands. With the exception of the nausea inducing vertigo flooing tends to cause, it's the safest way to travel. He's relieved Charlotte has lifted that restriction with his last pregnancy after it was deemed safe. "It's safe until we're in our last month."

Joe nods. "Yeah, right. Okay," he says distractedly, waving a hand dismissively. He expects his blonde to shift away or slap at his hands when he starts rubbing his back and smoothing his hands through Draco's hair. On the contrary, Draco presses closer and soaks up the attentions like he always does.

Draco hums with appreciation and presses closer, reveling in the warmth. He should probably be annoyed Joe is mussing his hair, but it feels too good to complain. "I haven't told Mother we'll be there, yet."

"So, tell her. We're going, so she should prepare herself," Joe says with a small smile.

He knows Harry and Jake (and their kids) will want to come along, too. It'll be quite the group. He didn't think he'd ever see the house his Draco grew up in and he's a little nervous.

"Uh, are there a lot of breakable things?" Joe asks hesitantly. The kids are pretty well behaved, but accidents happen... and the very idea of something happening to anything really old (or really _really_ expensive) has him feeling rather reluctant all of a sudden.

Draco snorts. "The entire house is filled with priceless heirlooms," he says dryly. He can't even count how many times he was scolded for touching something that a great-great-great aunt owned or something his great-great-great-great uncle was gifted from some sort of royalty. "But there are charms on anything worth keeping," he says with a snicker when Joe stiffens. "Honestly, love, don't worry about it. I'm tempted to point Scorpius and William at some of the more horrendous things and hope for the best."

Joe doesn't look amused but at least he relaxes. A little. Draco sighs softly and just rubs his back, hoping his husband doesn't spend the entire visit poised to catch things or with both boys in a firm hold.

* * *

Dinner that night is oddly quiet. Harry finds himself looking around the table a few times, his brows moving closer together each time.

"Alright, what's going on?" he finally blurts out the third time he sees Leah and Gloria look at each other with odd expressions on their face. They both start and give identical guilty expressions that only make his frown deepen into a scowl.

Leah's gaze slides over to Gloria again and they both sigh with resignation at the same time. As soon as they'd heard about Draco's father, they'd mutually decided to keep their good news to themselves for a little longer. Harry's intense stare intensifies, somehow, and she sighs again. "We're pregnant," she says, jerking a thumb between herself and her sister-in-law. She shrugs in a matter of fact way when Harry gapes.

There is pure chaos for over three minutes as shouts and screams of joy fill the dining room. Questions are being fired off to each expectant-mother-to-be but getting lost in the absolute chaos.

"For fuck's sake," Leah says loudly, laughing. "One at a time!" She points at Harry, smirking. "You first."

"I only said congratulations!" Harry says, smiling widely as his head whips between Leah and Gloria. "Oh. Wow... So, how far along are you?" he asks, rubbing his own belly.

It's not exactly a new thing to have babies coming in a flood but he's still surprised. He hadn't known Leah and Neville wanted more kids and he didn't think Gloria and Seth were even planning on starting a family yet. He laughs with delight when both women blush lightly, making the 'surprise' of the situation clear.

Leah shrugs, looking at Neville. It's probably weird, but Neville seems more aware of this sorta shit than she is. He holds up 4 fingers and she grins. "Four months for me," she looks at Gloria again and cackles evilly. "Glor is only 2 months along."

"I only saw the doctor yesterday," Gloria says softly, blushing lightly when she realizes the entire room is looking at her. _Everyone_. She gratefully squeezes Seth's hand in a death grip when he slides his into hers. It's a little embarrassing to admit they hadn't been trying for a baby, but it's the best news she's had in a long time.

She looks at Billy and Sue and relaxes when they're both beaming proudly at her. "I meant to tell you in private," she says quietly. She doesn't mind that everyone knows, but she had hoped to share the news in private in case she did anything embarrassing. Like now. She wipes at her tearing eyes sheepishly.

Sue waves a hand and bounces out of her seat. "Oh, who cares! These gossips woulda known sooner or later anyways. I'm gonna be a grandma again!" she gushes, rushing over and squeezing her daughter and then rushing over to give her daughter-in-law and gentle but fierce squeeze.

"So," she says, standing upright and crossing her arms with a mock-scowl at her son. "Mister I-Don't-Think-We'll-Have-Kids-Until-We're-Ready— Are you ready?" she asks, smirking. It's all she can do to keep from laughing in her poor son's face, since they'd only had that conversation just a few weeks ago.

"No!" Seth says, staring up at his mom wide-eyed. "I've only just now got that promotion!"

Gloria beams proudly at her husband, thrilled at his accomplishments. Seth's career options varied for awhile after they got married but he finally settled on being a lawyer, of all things. She still doesn't know why he chose it—he's just too sweet in her opinion—but he's very good at it.

She snuck into the court room the first time he argued a case, on the prosecuting side (she thinks; she's really rather ignorant of it all quite honestly), and it had been amazing watching him work. He looked so handsome in a suit (of course) and his handsome, sweet face was fierce as he argued and made his case. It wasn't a surprise to see him so knowledgeable and passionate, but it took seeing that to realize Seth finally found what he wanted to do.

She blushes lightly and giggles to herself, remembering the way she had literally pounced on him the moment he had stepped in the door. She still feels a little bad they ruined the suit...

"We'll be fine, love," Gloria says softly, looking at Seth. "It's not like we don't have any practice with kids and babies."

Seth nods. Yeah, it's true; but this... this is so different. They didn't have to pay for his nieces and nephews. And they got to give them back when they got to be a real hand-full. "I know, but..." he trails off when he sees that doubt flicker across Gloria's face again. He notices Gloria has a hand resting on her lower stomach and he hates himself for making her feel uncertain. Or that he doesn't want the baby.

He pulls his wife close. "I'm sorry, you know I'm thrilled, right? I can't imagine any of those kids being better lookin' than our gorgeous baby," he whispers, hoping no one else can hear him.

Because, really... all his nieces and nephews are fucking adorable. It's not a competition but he grins when Gloria giggles and nods against his cheek. He sighs softly and runs a hand through the hair at the nape of her neck, ignoring the few murmured 'awws' from around the table. "I'm just panicking... but I'm totally psyched about this. I swear. Okay?"

"Alright," Gloria says quietly. "Me too, but I'm excited too."

"Alright! Knock that shit off already!" Leah yells across the table, laughing when Seth and Gloria quickly separate but give each other sappy smiles. "You're both gonna be kick-ass parents, alright? God, like there's any doubt," she says and rolls her eyes. She grins when Seth and Gloria both aim their sappy smiles at her. Like she would say it if it isn't true? "Well, now that that's over..."

Harry holds his hands up, "Wait a minute. Why the secrecy then? I mean... It's wonderful news and it's not like we've never shared the baby spotlight before," he says, pointing between himself and Draco.

Draco, the first time round, got a bit of a prima-donna attitude near the end but otherwise it wasn't a big dramatic thing. He's pretty sure their assorted husbands have come to begrudgingly accept the multiplied 'baby hormones', but he likes having someone to share the experience with.

"Well," Leah says slowly, looking at Draco apologetically. "Uh... We... _fuck_..." she trails off with an awkward shrug, unsure how to finish.

Draco scoffs and waves a hand dismissively when he realizes the problem. "I get it, and I appreciate the thought and effort, but it's unnecessary. My father's death isn't any reason not to celebrate a growing family." He glares when Joe leans on him and coos at him, fluttering his lashes over-dramatically. Merlin, how he could he forget what a git his husband can be? "Shut it, you. I'm allowed to be sweet."

"Yes," Joe immediately agrees. "You're allowed but it doesn't mean I'm used to it." He grins and dodges the pointy elbow aimed at his ribs. He dares to lean closer and grabs Draco's chin and quickly kisses his volatile husband before he can try with the elbow again.

He smiles when Draco immediately kisses back and seems to forget he's annoyed. Until he's nipped rather harshly. "I deserve that," he murmurs, licking at his already healing lip.

Harry chuckles, looking around the table. He almost wishes the kids hadn't already finished and run off to play; they'd go just as mental over the news of more babies. "Well, fantastic," he says and claps his hands together. "We've got a baby-shower to plan," he says, looking at Gloria and laughing when her eyes widen.

He rubs his hands together. He's sure they'll be seeing three shopaholic vampires in short order, knowing they'll be there moments after he tells them the good news.

* * *

Harry stumbles a little as he pops out of the floo. He looks up with relief when he's caught by Jake, smiling as his husband gently pats him off (his hands lingering, unsurprisingly, on his arse and belly). He sticks his tongue out playfully when Sarah and William both giggle at him.

"Thanks, love," he murmurs. "And for the record; I'm always that clumsy flooing, it has nothing to do with my big round belly."

He rubs a hand down his belly in an effort to calm his somersaulting child. He's not as nauseous as he usually is thanks to a preemptive nausea potion. He turns when the floo flares again and steps back just before Draco pops out.

"Git," he says with a not-so-playful scowl when Draco saunters out gracefully, not even a hair out of place.

"Jealous," Draco taunts with a smirk. He turns and helps Joey through the floo, easing his eldest over the hearth. "Wasn't that fun?" he asks, patting the soot off Joey's bum.

He chuckles when Joey turns to him, his dark brown eyes wide. His children have all been exposed to magic over the years, but this is the first time they've traveled through the floo system. He almost feels bad; international flooing is quite an experience even when one is used to it.

Joey's eyes are still wide as he slowly shakes his head. "No, it wasn', papa," he breathes. He's never gone through the fire before and he never wants to again! He'd only remembered at the last minute not to open his mouth to holler or he knows he'd have a mouthful of ash and sooty stuff. Blech. "I was spinnin' around and nearly whacked my head!" he says, pointing to his forehead. "And I think—"

"Back up!" Draco says, scooting them both back when the floo flares for a final time and Joe pops out, Scorpius clinging to him like a monkey. "What did you think Scorpius?" he asks, brushing off his husband and son. He can't help give Joe a quick kiss, mostly in reward for going through the floo without complaint or problems. He laughs when Scorpius' nose wrinkles and he's gently pushed away, a silent request for him to stop fussing.

Scorpius looks up and beams excitedly. "It was so fun!" he says bouncing in his daddy's arms. "I wanna go again!" he gushes. He still when he notices the huge room they're standing in. "Wow." He didn't know grandmum had such a huge house! He leans into daddy, afraid if he lets go he'll get lost. The floo was fun, but getting lost is not.

"Right," Draco says, standing with a soft grunt and dusting himself off. He takes Joey's hand and, after a quick headcount to make sure they're all accounted for, sets off to find his mother. It's rather worrisome they haven't been greeted and he's a bit apprehensive.

He's able to find his mother's personal study fairly quickly. It's not as big and imposing as his father's so he's been there countless times before. He knocks softly on the closed doors, hoping his mother has sequestered herself in there and they don't have to keep searching.

The door opens swiftly by Narcissa herself. She blinks a few times, taking in the large group of people and hurries out, closing the doors behind her, and envelops her son in a tight hug. "Draco, my darling," she says softly.

She smiles to herself as she presses against the rounded belly, the smile flitting across her face briefly when she can feel a tiny foot pressing into her stomach. It's a very clear reminder that life continues.

Draco's arms immediately rise up and he hugs his mother back, even if he's taken by surprise. "How are you?" he asks quietly. He's very aware of everyone watching but he can't send them off; they haven't a clue where to go and he's a little eager for them to see his mother is human, after all.

He leans back and takes in his mother's appearance. She doesn't look too terrible, especially considering he's rather sure she hasn't spent much time out of her study or dry eyed.

"I'm well, thank you for asking."

Draco just nods, not at all willing to argue with his mother even though he knows she's lying through her pearly white teeth. He clears his throat and gives a sheepish smile. "Well, we're here."

"Yes, I had noticed, darling," Narcissa says dryly, offering a small smile. She looks around her son to see who is included in the 'we'. She smiles warmly at Joe and their boys. "And you've brought your boys!" she says, hurrying forward and taking Scorpius from his father's arms.

"How are you, my little love?" she coos, reveling in the warmth of the small child as he clings to her. She melts into the little boy's hug when small arms eagerly wrap around her and squeeze.

"I got to floo, grandmum!" Scorpius gushes. "But—" He pauses, his smile dropping off his little face. "We only came 'cause granddad died, so, it's not as cool." He hadn't met his other granddad, but he's sad because father and grandmum are sad.

He gently pats his grandmum's cheek when she frowns a little, her pretty face going sad again. Even if she isn't frowning or anything, he knows she's sad. "But we're here!" he chirps. "We'll cheer you up!"

Narcissa can only nod weakly, touched at her grandson's sweet nature. She stumbles just a little when Joey hugs her around her legs, his little face pressing into her thigh. "Thank you, my darlings," she says, rubbing Scorpius' back as she pats Joey's shaggy hair. She turns when she hears a throat being cleared and sees Draco looking at her oddly. Oh. Right.

"Yes, well," she sets Scorpius down. "Come along, I'll show you to your rooms." She nods at Harry and his family, pleased he came to support her Draco (and probably her as well, knowing the big-hearted wizard). "Sarah, a pleasure as always," she says warmly. She offers a conspiratorial wink; they are the only women and should stick together.

Sarah curtsies, remembering her manners at the last minute. "Hi!" she says. She just watches as her mum and dad say their hellos, both of them a little awkward, and then they all follow Mrs. Malfoy through the huge house.

"Wow," she whispers, looking around. The walls are all shiny and there are pretty vases and statues _every_ where! Her steps falter as she notices a painting move. Oh! They _all_ do! A few of the people in the pictures wave or at least offer a small head nod. Some make faces at her or just ignore her.

The pictures that are just of trees or something move, too; the leaves move like there's a gentle breeze or the surface of the water ripples gently. She kinda likes those better. "Wow."

Harry just nods, ushering his daughter along so they aren't left behind. He has no idea where the hell he is and he does not want to get lost. He's not at all surprised when they're lead to a private wing in the Manor; it's close enough to where Narcissa is but far away enough to give privacy.

Merlin, there are enough rooms for each of them to have their own! He's happy to take only one, though, mainly just to keep his children close.

.

By the time the funeral service is over, he's worried and a little hesitant to go home. Draco looks lost. Joe looks pensive. And Mrs. Malfoy just looks sad and lonely, even if she's trying her best to hide it. Everyone is picking at their dinner and he's itching to find something to say to break the awkward silence. He's ready to elbow Jake into action when Joe is the first to say something.

"Would you consider moving in with us?" Joe asks, looking at Narcissa.

He spent half of the night trying to console his distraught husband, soothing his worries and fears about his mother being left in the massive home all on her own. Especially after they found out she hadn't actually ventured out of the many walls in years. Things are still settling down in their world and the name Malfoy still tended to rile people up.

He's grateful his mother-in-law hasn't been physically harmed, but he agrees with Draco; it was probably only a matter of time. (He's also sure they wouldn't even know if it happened until much later but he doesn't mention that.) And he hates the thought of her cooped up inside, for who knows how long, just as much as his husband does.

That's no way to live.

Narcissa's eyes widen and dart to Draco. He looks just as surprised... but hopeful. "I don't know," she says honestly. She can't imagine leaving the family home—even if it isn't her family any longer. She hasn't gone anywhere in years (besides France, there they only care about how many Galleons she spends) and it is starting to get to her. She'd never admit that, however, and she's quite sure she hadn't made it obvious to anyone.

"Why?" she asks, narrowing her eyes at Joe dangerously. She will _not_ accept charity. Or pity.

"Because I'll feel better knowing you're safe and happy. I happen to think that'll occur if you're close. With us," Joe says with a light shrug. He's mostly able to ignore the look on his mother-in-law's face; if he hadn't seen such a look from his husband over the past few years, he'd probably piss himself. As it is, it's still an intimidating look but he's able to bear it.

He looks over to Draco when he feels his hand being tightly held. He gives Narcissa his attention again. "The children adore you," he adds, not at all above bribing the older woman.

Narcissa looks between Scorpius and Joey, both looking at her eagerly and smiling identical hopeful smiles exactly like the one still on her Draco's face. Even Harry's children, William and Sarah, are looking at her with happy little faces; just waiting for her to agree. It's rather shocking to realize she's not at all willing to refuse and see all those happy, hopeful faces crumple.

She'd point out that there'd be another body in the way but she knows it wouldn't at all deter this group; they've all gotten used to the large gatherings. As much as she's still adapting to the noise level, she's not exactly opposed to being in the mix, as it were.

"What would I do with the Manor?" she finally asks, raising her chin proudly.

"Sell it," Draco blurts out. He nods at his mother's incredulous look. "Or donate it. I'm sure the Ministry wouldn't pass up another large home they could put to good use," he says quietly. He's not sure why his mother cares, it's not _her_ ancestral home, but he can respect her dedication. "And that is beside the point, Mother. You can just leave it here until you've a later use for it. The house-elves will make sure it doesn't rot and crumble to the ground."

Narcissa stares down into her dessert, thinking. When did they finish dinner? "I don't know, darling," she says quietly. She nearly winces, horrified she's reduced to mumbling and feeling uncertain. "Where would I go?" She looks up and squares her shoulders. "I won't be a burden."

"With us," Joe says without pause. "We've room. Or you could find a place close-by. Please? I know it's driving Draco insane being so far and not being able to check on you. And the children adore visiting with you, they'd lose their little minds if they could visit more often," he adds, piling on more guilt-inducing incentive. Prickly and aloof she may act, he knows Narcissa fiercely loves her son and family.

He mentally grins when he sees Draco giving him an approving (and heated) look. He's not as sneaky as his husband, but he's learned a thing or two over the years. He winks at Draco and looks back to Narcissa.

"You don't have to answer now," he finally says. "But... will you at least think about it?"

Narcissa nods slowly. She will.

They finish dinner and she's in her rooms, in her nightclothes, before she's really aware of it. She's spent nearly every moment since that 'think about it?' doing just that. She looks around her ornate bedroom, taking in the rich fabrics and ancient appointments. Even the bed has been in the Malfoy family for generations.

She doesn't feel like it's hers, if she ever did... And she'd be lying if she tried to convince herself that the very idea of being closer to her son and grandbabies isn't appealing.

The next morning, she's at the floo with a large trunk. Everything she wants from the Manor is shrunken down and carefully packed inside. "After you," she says to Draco, smiling a little. His answering smile has her certain she's made the right choice. She rubs her son's belly just before he turns away to go home.

She sighs quietly, watching as her son practically floats through the floo, belatedly realizing just how worried he had been. It's a moot point to tell him, again, not to worry. It's just what family does, after all.

Yes, she's definitely made the right choice.

It's a thought that echoes in her mind over the next few weeks. Every time she visits the Black household for a large family dinner and she's welcomed warmly and stuffed with (delicious, homemade) food. Every time she enjoys a proper ladies' tea with Sarah, Natalie and Gloria (and occasionally Angela, if the woman isn't working). Every time she falls into bed, tired and smiling after a long day filled with chasing children or from just talking to any of the various extended family she suddenly found herself with.

And she knows she definitely made the right choice as she cradles her newest grandson, openly smiling down into his still pink-from-birth face.

~oOo~

Harry winces at the ear-piercing squealing shriek. "Calm down," he says laughing a little.

"No!" Sarah screams, bouncing a little in place. "It's finally a girl!" she shouts, pumping a fist in the air. She grins unapologetically when her mum winces, rubbing at his ears. Too bad. She's waited _years_ for a little sister and she's so not going to be calm about it.

Her nose wrinkles a little, reality setting in. "Oh. Ew," she says, mocking a gag when she thinks about her parents doing... _that_. Eww—so gross!

Harry laughs, shoving at Sarah lightly. She's going to be 12 soon and is, apparently, a little more aware of the whole 'where babies come from' thing than he originally thought. And going by the look on her face, she's trying valiantly not to picture how things work.

He snickers softly at her still pinched off expression. "What?" he asks innocently.

"Nothing," Sarah mutters. She restrains the urge to rub her mum's belly, since it's still mostly flat and that would be totally creepy. Somehow, the idea of rubbing a tiny bump isn't as acceptable as a large belly. She can wait. "I didn't even see Healer Smith," she says instead, pouting a little.

Harry shrugs, kicking his feet up. So far, he's the only one pregnant this time around and he's actually pleased to have the sole focus for a bit. He smiles warmly when Sarah shifts the ottoman for him and fluffs the pillow behind his back. He wants to hug and snuggle her for being so sweet and thoughtful but he knows she'll just wiggle away; she's too mature to be snuggled by him, apparently.

"She popped over while you lot were at school."

"Oh," Sarah says, deflating a little.

She likes visiting with Charlotte. She wants to be a Healer some day and she likes picking the older witch's mind. So far, nothing she's heard has reduced her zeal for Healing yet. Even knowing she knows she'll have to see other people naked. Because. Uhm. Ew. But she's hoping by the time she's old enough to be a Healer, it won't be a big deal. Or that embarrassing. She's seen most of her family naked (too often for her liking at times—a hazard of having a large family of boys and shape-shifters with little to no sense of modesty), and it's really no biggie.

Except when her parents get handsy when they think no one is looking. Ugh. So gross. But it does remind her... "So, how do you know it's a girl this time?" she asks, turning towards her mum and leaning against the cushions as she gives him an intense, 'tell me everything' kind of look.

Harry grins, well aware Sarah is asking both to be sure and for academic reasons. He's proud she's already sorted out what she wants to do with her life, even if he's not looking forward to her leaving for college and medical school bills. It's silly, but he's on the verge of fighting tears at the very thought of his baby leaving... A stern reminder that Sarah is only twelve has him calming down.

"She was able to tell from the scan. Apparently, this one isn't as shy as the rest of you lot and we could see."

"Wow," Sarah sighs, amazed. "Did you get pictures?" she asks excitedly, leaning forward. Even if the pictures are just grainy, grey little blobs, it's exciting!

Harry laughs, pulling a small stack from his pocket. "I did!" He hands one to Sarah, pleased she takes it carefully even in her excitement. He leans forward, pointing to various spots and describing what's visible. He still can't make heads or tails of the image but he's going by memory of what Charlotte had pointed out. "See? That's her head. And that's her spine. And that—" He points to a vaguely shaped, dark grey spot. "—is how Charlotte knew you were getting a sister this time 'round."

"Oh, wicked," Sarah breathes, pulling the photo close enough until it's nearly touching her nose. She rotates it a little, trying to make sense of the blobs and spots. It doesn't magically make sense just because it's closer, but she takes her mums' word for it.

She blushes a little, realizing she's trying to see her unborn sisters parts (even if they're completely unrecognizable) and pulls the picture away a little. "I still can't make heads or tails of these things!" she huffs, dropping her hands into her lap.

Harry shrugs, carefully taking the picture back. He had copies made, but he doesn't have enough to give Sarah one. Unless she insists... then he'll just have to ask Charlotte for another copy.

"Charlotte says it's not that hard once you learn how. I bet you'll pick it up in no time."

"True," Sarah says smugly, lifting her shoulders a little. She _is_ a quick learner; all of her teachers say so. She flops over to lean against her mum's side. "So, who else knows?"

"You're the first to know," Harry says. "After your dad," he adds, grinning when Sarah pumps her fist with a hissed 'yes!' again. "And it's not a secret, so feel free to blurt it out." He grins when she groans softly.

The teasing reminder of her shouting out the news of her second little brother makes her want to hide her face. "Mum," she says sharply. "I was little. I didn't _know_ it was a secret." She slowly grins and points a finger at him, "It's partly your own fault for trusting a blabbermouth little kid."

"Very true," Harry concedes, grinning wider. It takes a minute for his daughter to realize she's insulted herself and when her eyebrows pinch, he laughs. "And it wasn't a secret so much as your dad wanted to wait until grandpa was feeling better to share the news. It was a rough time," he says softly.

Sarah nods, still remembering the time everyone thought her grandpa wouldn't make it home from the hospital. He still has his bad days, but grandpa Billy is nearly as spritely as he was when she was a baby.

Her eyes light up and she bounces in her seat. "Oh! We gotta tell Alice!"

"I was thinking of doing just that," Harry says with a nod. He leans over just enough to get his mobile free and hands it over to his still bouncing daughter. If anyone can handle an excited Alice, it's Sarah. Luna is a close second but the blonde witch is currently somewhere in Germany with Amelia and Hermione. He's not exactly sure what creature Luna is looking for, but he knows the small family is having fun regardless if she finds anything or not.

He winces when he hears a loud squealing come through the mobile the second it connects. Apparently Alice has improved her methods of focus and there's no need for Sarah to even tell her why she's being called.

"Tell her I say 'hi'," he adds before Sarah can go into a long winded rant about babies, pink things and stupid boys. He grins when Sarah flaps a hand at him, mutters a quick 'mum says hi' and she's settling against the cushions, lost in conversation with the bubbly little vampire.

He rolls his eyes a little and settles into the sofa, enjoying the bits of the animated conversation he can hear. He knows Sarah loves her brothers and cousins, but he can't blame her for wanting a little balance to their family. Sarah, Amelia and Natalie are the only girls and he can only imagine how overwhelming it must be, especially since Sarah is at the age boys are repugnant (or disgustingly fascinating in Natalie's case now that hormones are affecting her thinking a little more).

He nods along with Sarah asks him random questions until he pauses, "What?"

"Baby-shower," Sarah repeats, rolling her eyes a little. She knew her mum wasn't listening. "Alice says it's important because all our girl stuff is old and it's rude to ask for whatever you gave to Aunts Luna and Hermione back."

"I wouldn't ask for it back, but they're going to offer it," Harry says with a shrug. It's common to share baby-things, especially since half of it barely gets used before it's too small or unneeded. And he's pretty sure the entire group isn't done having babies just yet.

"And besides, you're only supposed to get one baby shower. It's not like I can't just buy anything we'll need." He laughs when he can hear Alice's indignant scoff from where he's sitting.

Sarah rolls her eyes, agreeing with Alice. Her mum is always trying to wiggle his way out of parties and stuff. "Pah-lease, mum, no one says _no_ to a party—or gifts." She lifts her chin, doing a passable imitation of her uncle Draco, "It just isn't done." She giggles when she's only shoved lightly and then promptly ignored. Whatever.

She goes back to her conversation with Alice, pleased the vampires are going to come for a visit; sooner rather than later and for longer than they'd originally planned. She hasn't seen them in a while, since they decided to move around again.

Apparently with the two wolf packs settled and their presence in the town no longer a focus, they wanted to slip away for awhile so they could return to Forks again that much sooner. She squeals softly when Alice says they're _all_ coming. Well, _all_ meaning 'everyone but Bella and Edward'. Which is cool; they tend to stick to themselves and are not as fun. "Even Emmett?"

"Even Emmett," Alice says with a tinkling laugh. It's not a surprise; all of the kids love Emmett. She'd feel left out if she didn't know all the kids liked her, too. "We're a bit far at the moment so it'll probably be a day or two before we're actually there."

"That's cool. Where are you guys now?"

"Alaska," Alice says with an eye roll. It's nice to see her other 'family' and the cold doesn't bother her, but all the snow gets boring after awhile. It's nice to be isolated enough to actually venture out when the sun shines, but all there is to see is snow. White, bright, _snow_. "I know there's no rush, but it's been so long since we've seen all you guys, I bet you've all grown!"

Sarah hums, nodding. "Oh yeah," she says proudly. She's grown at least a foot since she remembers seeing Alice. Even her shrimpy little brother is tall enough to reach the counters now. "Mum says we're like weeds," she says with a giggle. She looks over to get his reaction and notices he's asleep. It's a tough call: be quiet and snuggle in or take the call to her room.

She's missed talking to Alice, but she doesn't get the chance to sneak in a snuggle with her mum very often either. She's either competing with one of her brothers (usually a whiny Ben) or refusing an offer because she's 'too old'.

"I gotta go," she whispers. She's grateful Alice doesn't ask any embarrassing questions or try to make her talk longer and giggles quietly when the vampire disconnects with a girly squeal. She carefully eases herself against her mum's side, smiling a little when he immediately shifts his arm and hugs her close.

She shoulda known she couldn't sneak in a cuddle. But it's too late now; her mum knows what's she's doing but she still goes with it. She closes her eyes with a soft sigh. Homework can wait.

* * *

Less than a week later, the entire group of vampires is back at the large white house. Emmett and Jasper seem to draw all of the children's attention and most of their time spent visiting seems to have both vampires acting as a jungle gym. Not that they're complaining.

Jasper, especially, looks to be pleased with the arrangement as he carefully monitors the kids wriggling around his body. He hasn't let a single one drop and he's not going to. He's also, more than once, had to talk Emmett out of playing a game of 'catch' with any of the small humans. He clearly remembers the reaction that got last time when Emmett allowed Scorpius to talk him into it.

Alice, Esme and Rosalie spend most of their time flitting between the various houses of the pack members, dropping off gifts after hours spent shopping. Narcissa had been a bit taken aback by the strange group but soon found herself getting along with Esme. It didn't hurt she could shop like a woman possessed with the best of them, either.

One of the cloudy days has the entire group at the local park; the vampires enjoying the quirk of the weather for a day spent outside with the entire pack. If the weather was nicer, he's sure Emmett would be clamoring for a game of baseball (or 'fetch'; always said teasingly to the closest werewolf as he tosses a bright, new tennis ball lazily). Even with the drizzly weather, it's tempting to get everyone running and playing, even if they all end up covered in mud.

Harry can't help but grin at the large gathering; he almost feels bad their group seems to take up the entire park. He stills when he sees another large group emerge from the trees, recognizing them instantly. He's not sure what to feel since they don't appear to be aggravated. He's not at all surprised to see Remus is the next to notice the group but he's not sure what to make of the older werewolf's reaction; he merely shrugs and goes back to speaking with Nigel.

"Jake."

Jake looks up, lifting his arms and making Ben and Marcus squeal with delight as they're lifted off the ground and they dangle, their feet kicking at the air. He turns to give his husband his attention, the smile sliding off his face when he takes in Harry's expression. He follows Harry's gaze and stiffens.

He gently pries the kids off his arms. "Go to Leah," he says softly, patting their butts so they won't argue. He watches long enough to make sure they're headed for their aunt, nodding once when Leah pulls both kids behind her, before he looks back towards the woods.

He slowly stands taller and glares as he recognizes Sam and Paul, the pair standing in front of the other pack. He smothers the urge to growl and deliberately makes his way over to his husband, standing close and wrapping an arm around his waist; protectively, possessively.

"You don't think they're going to do anything, are you?" Harry asks softly, looking between the approaching pack and their own scattered groups. He wants to cringe when he realizes the other pack's presence is becoming known. Even Seth is looking stiff and a little uncertain as he gathers Gloria and their child close. Harrison goes willingly, climbing up Seth's legs with a muted giggle.

He looks to his husband and smooths a hand down his chest, concerned when he feels Jake's entire body is tense. "Jake." He hears his husband merely grunt in reply. "Relax."

Jake nearly scoffs; like he can relax? He hasn't seen Sam and his pack in years and he has no idea what to expect. He's not all that concerned; his pack is bigger and still stronger. But he really doesn't want any confrontations, in public _or_ in front of the children.

He keeps Harry close when Sam is finally close enough for them to speak without shouting or having to rely on their sensitive sense of hearing. "Sam."

"Jake." Sam nods his head politely. He's a little surprised to see Jake's entire pack. Both the size and the fact that they're just out and about in public with vampires (he hadn't realized they were in town). He shifts his feet awkwardly, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. Jake is definitely still the stronger Alpha. He hasn't any interest in fighting or arguing, though. "How are you?"

Jake narrows his eyes a little, wishing he could read Sam's mind. He looks to an equally tense Paul before returning to regard Sam again. "Fine, thanks. You?" he asks, trying not to sound snide or sarcastic. He thinks he does a pretty good job of it until he feels Harry's elbow digging into his ribs with a subtle jab.

"We're well," Sam says. He rocks on his heels, unsure what to say or do now. Walking away isn't really an option, not yet anyway. "I'd like to apologize," he finally blurts out after a few tense moments. He wants to cringe at the way his voice sounds, but he can't take it back. He senses Paul's irritation, but there's not much he can do. Their pack owes Jake's pack an apology. Especially now that he's figured out a few things...

Even if it's too late to reconcile, hopefully things can stop being tense and awkward every time they see each other. It really is too small a town to have to worry about avoiding each other.

Jake studies Sam, his lips slightly pursed. "What for?" he asks carefully.

"A few things, actually," Sam admits with a sigh. He runs a hand through his hair and gratefully leans against his wife when he feels Emily come to stand next to him. He owes a lot of his more rational thoughts to her and he almost wishes he could have her speak for him; she's more articulate and soft spoken. Also, she's definitely not on Jake's shit-list.

He turns to look at the rest of his pack, pleased only Paul looks ready to argue. Thankfully, Paul's been his Beta long enough to know better than to blurt something out or lose control of his temper. It's taken years, but the other man isn't as short-tempered as he'd once been. He looks at Cassie, Paul's imprintee, and he gives her a brief, grateful smile. He knows she's the main reason for Paul's growth.

"Such as?" Jake asks through gritted teeth when Sam makes no further attempt to specify. He knows what he'd like to hear 'I'm sorry' for, but he really doesn't know if Sam's list and his are the same.

He raises an eyebrow when the entire pack shifts with unease and they stare at Sam expectantly. He ignores Quil's attempts to catch his eye and stays focused on Sam.

Sam sighs softly and steps closer to Jake, raising his hands when Jake visibly tenses. He lowers his voice to a near-whisper, "Easy, I just don't need the entire park hearing me admit what an asshole I've been, alright?" he says, offering Jake a small smile. To his shock, Jake chuckles and inclines his head, urging him to continue. "So, yeah, sorry about the kicking you out thing," he mutters, rubbing at the back of his neck. It's really a piss poor apology, he knows that, but it's the best he can offer.

"And?"

Sam pauses for a moment, unsure if Jake really expects a thorough listing of all the bone-headed things he's done over the years. He really doesn't know if they have that kind of time... Then he sees Jake glare at Paul and he nods slowly.

"And for the harassment your Imprint suffered."

"My husband," Jake corrects.

Sam nods, less bothered by the whole issue than he was years ago. He feels like an ass about it, especially for not taking it more seriously when it happened, but it's just another thing he can't change. He's glad Emily's hand is in his, squeezing gently and offering her encouragement and courage.

"Yes, your husband. And I'd like to apologize for that whole... thing," he adds awkwardly.

"Alright," Jake says slowly. He looks at Harry, scowling lightly when he only gets a shrug in response. _Really?_ He's certain his Harry has more of an opinion on it than that but he doesn't push. Mostly because he's still surprised to hear an apology (and a sincere one at that) coming out of Sam's mouth.

He looks at Sam thoughtfully. "Have you had another pack member with the same issue?" he finally asks, wondering what's caused Sam's change of heart (or thinking).

Sam shrugs. "Not that either of them have Imprinted, but yeah." He looks back at Embry, offering him and Kevin a small smile. He wants to cringe as he remembers the pain he caused both men, only realizing how big of an ass he was after the fact. He gives Jake a small shrug, unsure what else he can say. He can't help but notice the way Jake is standing and touching his husband. It doesn't bother him, not like it would've years ago, but he's curious.

"Is it true?" he asks, gaze on Harry's mid-section. There's a slight bulge there but it could just be a slight weight gain that comes with age... But, no; no other part of the wizard is bigger. It's just his mid-section, just how he'd expect on a pregnant woman. Er... person. Plus the way Jake's hand is covering the area is another hint. He's seen that possessive, protective gesture before with other pack members and their expecting spouses.

Harry and Jake share a look. They both briefly contemplate playing dumb, but decide against it. It isn't exactly a secret.

"Yeah," Jake says, shrugging one shoulder. He sees Harry's hand settle on his lower belly and he wants to cradle Harry protectively but he settles for giving Sam a hard look, daring the other man to comment or do something.

"Well, congratulations then," Sam says with a small smile. He really wants to ask all sorts of things; mainly, _how_. But he's very aware that he has no right to ask such a thing, no matter how curious he is. He look around at the scattered children, most having escaped from their parents' protective hold when it became obvious there wasn't a threat from him (and he tries his best to ignore the painful pang that he's causes such a reaction at all). He wonders how many are Jake's... or Joe's. It's a little hard to tell, honestly since most of the coloring of the children is similar enough to make them all look related.

Huh. They're all cute kids, though.

Then he notices a pale, blonde man standing close to Joe, glaring at him hard enough to make him want to shiver. He hadn't been sure the blonde kids he saw belonged with Jake and his pack until now. As he looks a little closer, the resemblance to the glaring blonde (and Joe) is easy to spot and he's again hit with that lingering feeling of remorse.

If he hadn't been such an asshole, they all could have been a part of his pack. His strong, supportive, _intact_ pack...

Harry is the first to recover. "Thank you," he says, elbowing Jake lightly when his husband just continues to stare, narrow eyed, at Sam.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, unsure how to continue. They've spent years at odds with the other pack; it almost feels surreal to have that suddenly puff away. He's hesitant to accept the olive branch, as it were.

"Are you serious right now? Because I can assure you, we won't hesitate to—"

"I'm serious," Sam says, holding up his hands and interrupting Harry before the other man can get into what they won't hesitate to do. He has an idea... And being on the receiving end of the man's magic or Jake's fury isn't his goal. "I'm sure we'll never be friends, but I would like to try to at least get along. I don't think either of our packs are going anywhere any time soon."

Jake just narrows his eyes further, trying like hell to read Sam's mind. It doesn't work, of course, and he growls softly. "When did this all happen?"

"Hard to say, really," Sam says sheepishly.

Emily had been on him about Jake and Joe since the pack split. He hadn't wanted to listen—truly listen and take her words to heart—until Embry came to him. He'd been devastated to realize a member of his pack had been _terrified_ of him; the man had actually been trembling when he approached him that day. Embry had been terrified he'd be kicked out and hated, but it didn't stop him because he knew the pack would find out sooner or later.

Apparently, sooner was the best option; get it over with so Embry could find another place to stay that much sooner. Sam had been upset, guilt when he realized Embry's fears were well founded; it wasn't like there wasn't a reason for that kind of thinking. It made him realize how shitty an Alpha he'd been.

He vowed to do right by Embry. It didn't fix things with the other pack, but at least he'd been able to get his own pack back to rights. Even Paul got off Embry's case after he'd explained some things. Emily, god love her, had helped a lot there too. It took a stronger man than Paul (or even himself) to go against Emily when she got her mind set on something.

So, really, he couldn't exactly pin-point a moment.

"A while ago?" he offers, shrugging and giving Jake a sheepish smile. It's the best he can do and he wants to sigh when the other Alpha merely scowls at him and hugs his husband closer. He can't blame Jake at all. And really, he should've expected this.

"I see. Well. Good, I'm glad you see you've pulled your head out of your ass."

Sam merely nods, chuckling; he can't argue with that. He offers Jake a grin and sticks his hand out. "I have. So—" He sticks out his hand, keeping it steady as he holds it out to the other Alpha, waiting.

Jake stares at the hand. His first instinct was to slap it away. But he knows that childish impulse is wrong. He slowly reaches out and grips Sam's hand in his. He's pleasantly surprised when Sam's squeeze is light and almost friendly. He shakes it twice and lets go.

"Well, now that that's settled..." he trails off, waving the rest of his pack over.

It takes a while, but Sam's pack is introduced to Jake's, mainly just the children since they're really the only ones that don't know Sam and his pack. Jake notices Emily and Sarah sneak off shortly after introductions are made, but the low murmurings of 'healing potions and salves' passing between the pair has him relaxing. He's never had a problem with Emily and he certainly can't stifle his daughter's urge to help people (or her growing interest in healing).

He can only hope Sarah can actually help... knowing his Sarah, she's probably intrigued by Emily's scars and offering some sort of potion or scar salve. She's gotten quite adept at brewing, taking to Potions like a natural. It amuses Draco _and_ Harry; both for different reasons. But at least he knows it's one less thing Sarah will struggle with when she goes to become a Healer. She's already going through material suited for someone in their junior year (according to Hermione, anyway).

Harry blinks, taken by surprise when he's approached by two men. It's obvious they're a couple and he's suddenly pissed off. He'd like to think it's merely hormones, but he can't help thinking with how unfair it is that Embry and his man have been welcomed when Jake wasn't.

He stays silent as they approach. It's only when Embry offers a quietly spoke, heartfelt, offer of apology does his anger puff out. He merely nods and allows the couple a seat next to him.

After a few quiet moments, he turns and tries not to glare. "So, you didn't imprint?"

Embry slowly shakes his head, giving Kevin a side-long glance. He hasn't imprinted but they're serious enough he's told the other man all about him and the pack. He'd been relieved when Kevin didn't run off, screaming for a rubber-padded room.

"No, but—" He shrugs. He doesn't think he'll ever imprint, and he's OK with that. As long as he doesn't lose Kevin.

"I see," Harry murmurs. He turns away when his shirt is pulled on and slides Ben onto his lap, gently pushing the toddler's thumb from his mouth. "This is Ben," he says, nodding at the shyly smiling little boy perched on his knee. He bonces his knee when Ben remains silent. It's not uncommon for Ben to be shy around new people, but he squashes the spiteful voice that hopes Ben doesn't say hello.

He leans down, whispering in his son's ear, "These are friends of daddy's."

Ben's eyes widen and he looks at the two strangers. Most of daddy's friends come to their house. He's never met these two before. "Really?" he asks, leaning forward with interest. "You don' visit."

"No," Embry says, immediately feeling like a jerk. He stares at the kid, amazed he even exists. It's obvious he's Jake and Harry's kid; he's the perfect mix of the two men—Harry's messy hair and eyes and Jake's... well, everything-else. "We live far away and can't visit," he says, feeling lame.

It's the best excuse he can think of that doesn't involve telling the kid they were all a bunch of asses to his dads.

Ben gives both men a look. "So? Emmett and Jasper live far away and they come see us," he says, matter-of-factly. He knows the vampires live far away, but they can run really fast. He narrows his eyes at the strangers. Mummy said they were daddy's friends, so they should be big wolfs, too.

"Were you bad?" he finally asks. "'cause when you're bad, you get stuck in the corner. Is that why you din' come?" he asks, eyes huge. He can't imagine how naughty you'd have to be for that long of time-out time. Wow...

Embry snorts a laugh, unable to help himself. Good lord, the kid is adorable. "Something like that," he says, nodding along. "So. You've got some toys there," he says, hoping to distract the kid when he notices the arm of an action figure sticking up from the bulge in his pocket.

He's not sure what to do when the little boy then spends the next 10 minutes (without taking a moment to breath, it seems) talking about the action figures he has clutched in his hands. He mocks a fight or two as he's explaining, but mostly, he just talks.

Jake leans against the closest tree, unsure how to take the entire situation. He moves over when Joe comes over and props his foot on the tree, resting his hand on his bent knee.

"What do you think?" he asks, eyes in constant motion as he looks at each family member talking with one of Sam's pack.

It's a little unnerving... but so far, no one is really being an asshole or causing problems. He can't help his gaze returning to where Sam's son, Max, is playing with Scorpius and William. So far, the trio is getting along, probably because they're all about the same age with matching passion for the same cartoons.

"Honestly?" Joe sees Jake nod once. "I think it's about fucking time."

Jake snorts softly and finally gives Joe his full attention. "Really? You aren't at all concerned?"

"Not really," Joe says simply, shrugging one shoulder. "You'd be able to smell bullshit and I don't think he'd be _that_ good at pretending if he didn't mean it. I'm not saying we have them over for dinner any time soon, but don't go lookin' for something that isn't there, man."

Jake nods slowly; Joe has a point. "It doesn't bother you?" he murmurs, his gaze settling on where Embry and his boyfriend are talking with Harry and Benny. He doesn't want to find it adorable that Benny has Embry (and Kevin) completely smitten and wrapped around his little finger. His son has the knack for that.

He smiles when he can hear Benny's explosion noise and two action figures go flying. He laughs when Embry, obediently and without being asked or given a boo-boo face by Ben, gets up and retrieves them.

"A little," Joe says honestly, shrugging again when Jake looks at him. "But it's not like we can change it. I'm actually a little glad Embry didn't get as much shit about it. I wouldn't have wanted to have him join us and Sam needed the wake-up call."

Jake nods thoughtfully. Again, Joe has a point. "Damn, man," he says, looking at his friend with a wide smile. "When did you get so smart?"

"Shut up, asshole. I've always been smart."

Jake just hums. Wisely, he doesn't comment on it further and just goes back to watching.

He's pleased to see Sarah, Leah and Emily talking. He hadn't been worried; his daughter wouldn't let the older woman's scars bother her, but they've spoken enough about Sam and his pack, he's glad his daughter didn't immediately react negatively. Leah smiles and he knows she's just as pleased to see the other woman, as well.

He'd almost forgotten they were close before all the shit with Sam happened.

~oOo~

As Harry straightens up from placing Jasmine in her crib, he sees two blurs rush past the doorway, the bright sound of giggles following. He grins and hurries over to the doorway to peek down the hallway, laughing quietly when he catches sight of the two naked, wet little boys streaking past instead of in the bath where they belong.

He snorts with amusement; bubbles still cling to the dark and pale hair on each little head.

"Marcus Joseph! Benjamin Jacob!" Jake hollers, chasing the naked boys down the hallway, soaked from head to knee. "Get back here!" he growls, ignoring the spectators in the doorways as he hurries after the still giggling boys.

He stifles a grin when the boys squeal and the slapping cadence of wet little feet get faster.

Harry quiets another laugh as he takes in Jake's appearance. It isn't a new thing to see him chasing after naked, wet little boys. Neither one of them could resist making a break for it as soon as their hair had been washed and making Jake give chase.

He glances up and grins when he sees BJ and Scorpius in the doorway across the hall, both with smiles on their face as they watch the scene as well. BJ notices him looking and his grin dissolves into a scowl before he slinks back into the dark cave of his room. Harry rolls his eyes; well used to his second-born's new 'teenager' attitude. Even if he doesn't have the excuse of being an actual teenager.

BJ—he still giggles like an adolescent at his son's newest self-imposed nickname. He's gone through so many, it was honestly hard for him (or Jake) to really keep track anymore.

(Apparently, abbreviations were passé but initials apparently were acceptable. WJ didn't sound right so he went with 'B' for Billy and 'J' for James, earning twin eye rolls from his dads at the unneeded explanation followed by another round of completely immature giggling. Jake will still chuckle like an immature idiot when calling him BJ, and usually glance at Harry with a suggestive grin.)

"Hey, Scorp," Harry says, shutting the door to Jasmine's room quietly. "Bed in fifteen."

"Yeah, alright, Uncle Harry. Uh—" Scorpius pauses, nibbling his lip as he looks down at his feet.

He doesn't know if he should say anything or not, not wanting to have Bill pissed at him. He's pretty much the only one that doesn't call the git BJ, much to his cousin's annoyance. He thinks 'William' is too old, so he went with 'Bill'; it sounded mature enough to him so he didn't bend to Bill's incessant whining on the subject and he'd finally got the other boy to quit rolling his eyes when he addressed him as such.

Honestly; he didn't whine about _his_ annoying name (he really wonders what his father was thinking the day he named him _Scorpius—_ stupid family traditions), and it's annoying to hear Bill bitch about his nice, normal name. Idiot.

"What's up, Scorp?" Harry asks quietly, cupping his elbows and leaning against the door frame. He and Scorpius talk a lot (about all sorts of things) so the nervous fidgeting is unusual. He smiles; Scorpius is a lot like Joe in that regard. He might be the spitting image of Draco but he has Joe's personality—like a freakin' clone.

Scorpius fidgets some more, playing with the frayed hem of his favorite t-shirt. "Well, some of the kids are being assholes—"

"Language, Scorp," Harry automatically scolds, fighting a smile. He can't stop it and just grins unabashedly at the boy with a shrug. It doesn't help Scorpius spends a lot of time with Leah and her boys, so he naturally gets reminded about using improper language. A lot. He gets the feeling that Jake or Joe don't make a habit of reminding Scorpius of it nearly as often as he or Draco do.

Scorpius sighs, trying not to roll his eyes at his uncle. "Sorry, Uncle Har. I meant, jerks."

He shuffles out of the doorway, closing it after peeking in the room to make sure Bill isn't listening. Thankfully, he is in full 'brooding tweenager' mode; laying on his bed with his tiny music player ear-buds crammed into his ears and no doubt blasting depressing, angst ridden music. He rolls his eyes; they're barely 12, but Bill has to just be ahead of the curve in _every_ thing.

"Some of the kids are starting to tease Bill..."

"About?" Harry asks as he slowly straightens up from his slight slouch.

He tries not to jump to any conclusions. Or stomp into his son's room and demanding answers so he can cuddle his son and fix all his problems. That will get him nowhere but a pissed off, mortified son that will probably refuse to talk to him for _years_. He wants to roll his eyes; he's really hating teenage angst. He wryly realizes he was just as bad (even if the reasons were different) and he's going to have his hands full if BJ takes after him.

So far, BJ's school experience has been boringly average (as far as he knows). No one teased him for anything unusual but they are getting older now and kids can be, as Scorpius succinctly put it, assholes. Both boys are starting middle school in the fall.

Harry loves the fact that American magical schools aren't boarding schools. The average American magic student went to school for a few hours during the day, came home every day and holidays sprinkled throughout the year. He didn't have to say goodbye to his kids once or twice a year and miss them for months on end and wait for holidays to see them.

He loves it and he knows Draco feels the same way. Sure, it was nice to live in a castle, but it's better to have his babies home, safe, with him.

He had been pleasantly surprised to find two wizarding schools close enough for the kids to attend without having to move or spend hours getting there (since most had pretty extensive apparating wards for security). Both had minor focus on magic until middle school when the focus shifted, like Hogwarts, and they learned more involved spell and wand work. He still remembers the bright smile that lit each child's face when they got their wand.

"His annoying new nickname," Scorpius says with a heavy eye roll. "I know he didn't realize what... uh, you know. But other kids do."

He scratches the back of his neck in a tell-tale gesture of embarrassment. He doesn't have to tell his uncle that _he_ knows, if the wide eyed but amused expression is anything to go by. He's still surprised Bill isn't more aware. Of all the things his cousin isn't ahead of... he's still in the 'girls are icky' phase with him.

"And, well, they're starting to tease him about a lot more than just the nick name."

Harry sighs and walks down the hallway towards the stairs, gesturing for Scorpius to follow. This sort of conversation probably needs to be over tea, or hot chocolate in Scorpius' case since he didn't share his or Draco's fondness for tea. "Like?"

"Don't make me say it, man," Scorpius pleads, flopping into a chair and letting his arms dangle at his sides. Father isn't around to remind him of posture and, thankfully, his uncles don't pester him about it. "I don't wanna get in trouble."

"I _asked_ , you aren't going to be in trouble," Harry assures, waving his wand to heat the water for the tea and hot chocolate instead of going through the hassle of making it the Muggle way. He doesn't want to take his attention away from Scorpius that long. "I officially guarantee no trouble." He watches Scorpius wave his wand and _Accio_ marshmallows, a grin on his face as he does so.

Scorpius enjoys doing magic at home even more after Harry and Draco lamented the unfairness of the American Wizarding Bureau not having any laws against underage magic use outside of school as long as they are in the presence of a parent or guardian. He thought it was brilliant; how much better would he have been at Scorpius' age if he was able to practice outside of Hogwarts?

Scorpius groans and wraps his hands around his mug as soon as it's set it front of him. "Fine," he looks around, verifying they're still alone before he speaks. "They're making fun of him because of you and Uncle Jake," he finally says morosely.

He's getting the same kind of crap about his fathers but he really doesn't care. American wizards are enlightened and accepting enough when it comes to same sex couples. But the fact that his and BJ's dads are considered 'creatures' however, not so much.

It only got worse when it became known who their _other_ dads were: Famous war heroes. He winces when his uncle sags in his chair, a look of dejected misery on his face. He was afraid that would happen... and he feels like a jerk for putting that expression there. But he can't take it back, and he does feel a little better having mentioned it...

"I mean, like Aunt Leah says, fuck 'em, right?"

"Scorp! Language!" Harry corrects automatically before a short bark of laughter bubbles up. "But, yes." He rubs a hand over his face, trying to think. "Shit," he mutters and eases back in his chair. "What... what does BJ say?"

Scorpius shrugs and takes a quick sip of his hot chocolate. "Nothing really. He doesn't care what those fu—people say. Most times, he doesn't even seem to notice, anyway," he says with an eye roll, both of them aware of his brooding habits. BJ either had his nose in a book like Aunt Hermione, or his ear buds plugged into his ears, drowning out the world.

Harry smirks for a moment, catching the correction. It doesn't last long and he sighs heavily. "Well, bugger," he mutters, running a hand through his hair, rubbing it back and forth in agitation. He doesn't know what to think or do and it's starting to make him twitchy.

He looks over to see Scorpius staring into his mug. "How about you?"

Scorpius rolls his eyes and snorts. "Yeah, but I don't give a sh—crap," he hastily corrects before his uncle can scold him again. "I mean, dad always told me what to expect. And father, well he's not going to be happy about it but..." he trails off and scratches the back of his neck again.

He had heard a little bit of his father's past (from both his father and uncle; his grandmother refused to say anything), so he's not completely ignorant his dad was a dick in his youth. Even so, he's not a complete bastard and he wishes more people knew _that_ ; even if it would embarrass his father.

"But...?"

"But, he's already taught me a few spells that aren't in the curriculum," Scorpius admits with a slight blush, his left leg swinging freely and tapping the chair leg.

The few spells his father taught him aren't Dark but not quite Light either. He is really looking forward to the others his father promised to teach him when he gets older, too. Especially since they made Sarah's eyebrows perk and she'd made his father promise to include her in the lessons.

Harry chuckles. "Well, as long as Draco teaches those to BJ as well, I don't really care." He pats Scorpius on the shoulder affectionately. "Draco wouldn't have taught you if you weren't mature enough to handle them. And you're a good kid, you won't show off or misuse 'em."

Scorpius smiles and ducks his head sheepishly, blushing harder from the praise. "I already tried to teach him, but he got all—" He waves a hand around for a moment, trying to find the words, " _Bill_ on me and refused unless an adult or teacher taught him."

Well, Bill had refused unless his mum taught him, his chest puffing up with pride and a little bit of worship knowing his mum is skilled with his wand and magic. It's true, but it wasn't like his uncle was going to teach them the same things.

"I bet!" Harry clutches his stomach and laughs. "I don't understand that child of mine," he laments fondly. He would have jumped at such a chance at BJ's age.

They both turn towards the doorway as Jake walks through, a pajama'ed and dry wiggling little boy under each arm.

"Mum!" Benjamin wails, wiggling under dad's arm. He goes limp when he realizes it's useless; his dad is holding on tightly and he can't wiggle free. "Do we haveta go to bed?" he whines, looking up with (what he hopes) his best puppy-eyes.

Harry grins as he hooks a finger in Jake's belt loop, pulling his husband and the children closer. "Yup," he says brightly, kissing the still damp, messy dark hair. "You do. It's already past your bed time."

"Awww," Marcus whines, wiggling under Jake's arm as well. "Uncle Jake, can we get down to give hugs?" he asks, turning slightly to peer up at Jake, flashing his uncle his big brown eyes as he looks out from under his light blonde fringe. It isn't as light as Draco's, darker highlights running through it courtesy of Joe, but it's just as fine. He smiles sweetly and bats his eyes repeatedly when he sees his uncle tilt his head slightly and narrow his eyes a little in thought.

Jake sighs, feeling defeated. "Alright," he agrees, loosening his hold on the boys. "You bolt. I chase. Then it's early bed for a month," he says firmly.

When both boys huff and shuffle over towards Harry with defeated postures, he feels a little bad but knows he's finally gotten the little buggers to believe him when he scolds them. He nearly rolls his eyes; it only took almost 5 years. Some Alpha he is... letting kids walk all over him. He can't help it though, one look of Benny's green eyes and he's as helpless against him as he is against Harry. So not fair. He grumbles quietly while the boys make their (drawn out) good night rounds.

"G'night, mum," Benjamin mumbles, climbing up into Harry's lap and hugging him tightly around his middle. He smiles when he's hugged back tightly, warm hands smoothing over his back and the back of his head. He loves his mum's hugs, they always make him feel warm and loved. He turns and hugs Scorpius briefly, not wanting to be called a 'baby' by the older boy like BJ does. He grins when Scorp just squeezes back and ruffles his hair. He squawks merely as a formality; it's expected, so he does it.

Marcus pounces on Scorpius, giggling. "Good night, Scorp!" he chirps, giggling when Scorpius rubs his knuckles along his head, messing up his pale hair almost as badly as Benny's. He smooths it back down with a scowl, playfully kicking at his big brother's shin with a pajama clad foot.

"Night, little bro," Scorpius says with a smile. He doesn't care what Bill says; he is not too old to adore little kids. Especially his little brother or his little cousin. He loves that he's the favorite 'big brother' and rubs it in everyone's face whenever he can.

He ruffles Benny's hair again and winks at them both when uncle Jake scoops them both back up, tucking them both up in his armpits. He wrinkles his nose and looks away when uncle Jake stoops down to kiss Uncle Harry. Ugh, right on the lips, too. _Gross_.

Harry watches Jake walk upstairs with a smile, two sets of little legs kicking and wiggling as he goes. He glances back at Scorpius and laughs at the boy's averted gaze and disgusted grimace. Scorpius is in the phase where kissing (between _any_ couple, apparently, but worse when it's your parents/relatives) is gross and to be avoided.

"We're done," he informs Scorpius, fighting the urge to smirk.

"Good. So gross. Ugh," Scorpius says, wrinkling his nose again and sticking out his tongue to drive the point home. It's so gross! All of his aunts and uncles do that. His parents are the absolute worst with it; always kissing and touching each other. Aren't they all too old to still be kissing like that? He doesn't see the appeal of kissing (thinking all the adults are full of shit when they claim he'll 'change his mind one day'), he doesn't care who's kissing whom; it's just _gross_. Didn't they know what other people _did_ with their mouths? Just _ew_.

"Anyway," he says, running a finger along the handle of his mug. "I just wanted you to know since I was sure Bill wasn't going to say anything."

"And why not?" Harry asks, his brows slightly furrowed. He still has a good relationship with William, even if his son pretends it's like being interrogated when they talk; they still talk. He doesn't like the idea of being kept out of the loop, for whatever reason.

Scorpius shrugs, a habit he can't stop no matter how many times his father tries to correct him. "I think he wants to either ignore it or handle it on his own." If he's even aware of it, he thinks but doesn't say. He's seriously not sure how connected Bill is to the outside world at times and if he's even noticed the taunting.

Harry sighs and runs a hand over his face. Everything with Sarah had been so much easier; when she'd started school, no one had really known who her parents were. And she didn't take shit from anyone. His eldest daughter is close to BJ, so maybe... "Has he said anything to Sarah or Joey?" he asks, hoping Draco's eldest might know if Sarah didn't.

BJ thought the sun shone out of Joey's ass, probably because he's officially a teenager and the very definition of 'cool'.

"No," Scorpius says sounding miserable.

Sarah is like a big sister to him as well and he adores the older girl. She's only about 3 years older than him and Bill, so they get along really well when Bill isn't being a complete knob. Joey tries to avoid Bill when he can, annoyed enough by the kid at home but he doesn't want to tell his uncle that. Joey isn't a dick to Bill, but he doesn't go out of his way to hang with the guy at school, either. He couldn't blame his older brother, not really; Bill can be a little much at times.

"She knows though, we do go to the same school, you know. Joey... just does his thing."

Harry chuckles. "I know," he says, nodding.

He doesn't want to assume that the boys and Sarah spend time together in school as well as out of it. He also doesn't blame Joey for hiding whenever he could. BJ can be... overly enthusiastic when he isn't doing his best 'emo tween' impression.

He fidgets in his chair a little, suddenly feeling awkward and inadequate. "This sucks," he whines, fully aware of Scorpius' amused expression. "What's Sarah's opinion?" he finally asks.

"Well," Scorpius says slowly, a grin stretching his face. Times like these, he really loves his honorary cousin. "She's already hexed a few of the more vocal guys."

His grin grows as he remembers the hex Sarah had perfected two years ago. It was painful but not something that really harmed you. Well, permanently, anyway. Aunt Luna taught it to her and she's promised to teach him later this year once he is officially 12. He can't wait.

Harry struggles not to laugh for a long moment before giving up and letting it bubble up. Scorpius won't tell on him. "Really?" he asks when he's finally under control. "Oh my," he whispers, wiping a tear from his eye. He doesn't envy anyone that gets on the wrong end of his Sarah's wand.

"She didn't get in trouble?" Scorpius gives him an expression that clearly says 'duh' and he chuckles again.

Magic is permitted in school but there are rather strict rules about _which_ spells and charms the children can use, depending on their grade. He can only guess at what sort of monitoring charms or wards the school employs to keep track.

"So, what, exactly, is the issue?" he finally asks, worrying his lower lip. He's concerned this is the first he's hearing about there being a problem, but he'll focus on that later.

Scorpius stares for a moment before he realizes what's making his uncle so worried. "Oh, it's not about you guys being married to other guys. I mean, there are enough kids in school with that sorta thing, so it's not a big deal," he says, waving a hand at his uncle.

He sighs when he notices it hasn't eased any worry from him. "I think it's because they know who you are," he finally says, his voice quiet. He hates the stupid nicknames he hears for both his father and his uncle. "Were? Whatever, you know what I mean."

"Oh," Harry says quietly. He closes his eyes and curses. "I had hoped..."

Scorpius giggles, unable to help it. "He looks _just_ like you, Uncle Harry. Not to mention he's got a crazy big magical core," he says with a careless shrug. "I don't know who found out, but it went around school in no time."

Between Bill's impressive magical strength and resemblance to Uncle Harry, there was little chance people _wouldn't_ notice him at some point. Of course, he expected the attention to be more... positive. And it is; for the most part.

There is also the small matter of his Uncle Jake being a well known shapeshifter, an Alpha werewolf shapeshifter at that. It just combined to make people notice and it isn't always a good thing. He knows he's more like his dad, not being comfortable with the hoopla. His father, on the other hand, adores it and laughs his blonde head off when people stare or make a fuss.

Plus, he still had troubles occasionally if he saw any of the kids from the rez, the offspring of his dad's old pack. (They supposedly 'got along' but it's a strained sort of truce that never went back into friendship.) Not that he gave a shit. He already knows he'll be shifting at some point, he could feel it tingling in his core as he gets older, and he'd take those punks if it came down to it.

He just hates hearing the crap and stupid names. Bill, as usual, didn't care. The dork even jokes about imprinting on one of them and laughing his ass off about it. Though, it would be hilarious...

"I don't understand then. If they know who I am, why tease BJ?" Harry finally asks, truly confused. It doesn't make any sense. "And why bring you into it?"

"I dunno, they're dumb-asses," Scorpius says with a shrug. " _Butts_ , dumb-butts," he says trying not to roll his eyes at the very lame alternative. "They know about our dads, too. I don't get it either. Maybe they want to fight him? Claim some weird macho boast? And me? Well... when they found out about father... it wasn't exactly a secret you and he didn't get along well at school."

He was just a baby when some jerk wrote a book all about what happened during the whole crazy war in England. He vaguely remembers them taking a long vacation, enjoying a solid month with his entire family on a private beach. He misses Teddy and Natalie since the pair went off to college (Teddy going to MIT like the nerd he is and Natalie went to some college in Virginia that specialized in literature or something). He'll see them at Christmas with any luck.

Harry frowns. He doesn't get it. "I really... I don't get it." He sighs and runs a hand over his face again before taking a long sip of his tea. "So, between both of your dads, for both of you, this is a problem?"

"No, well... It's why they say stuff, but it ain't a problem, Uncle Har. We're cool about it."

Harry smiles and shakes his head, leaning forward to ruffle Scorpius' hair. "I get that. I don't suppose my interfering will help any?"

"No way," Scorpius says, shaking his head, grey eyes going wide and horrified. The mental image of Uncle Harry stalking down to his school, while bad-ass, is so embarrassing he wants to hide. It's so not cool to have your dad (uncle; whatever) fight your battles for you. So weak. "You'd make it worse, man."

Harry nods, snickering. "Yeah, I thought so. I just hate the idea that you boys are being picked on."

"Picked on... may be the wrong phrase. It's only talk and stupid jerks trying to act tough. I mean, _a girl_ beats them, I'm not really all that worried about it," Scorpius says with a chuckle. Of course, Sarah isn't exactly a kitten but _still_. "I just wanted you to know... Just in case." He shifts a bit in his seat. "I'd rather you didn't say anything to... well, any of them," he says, meaning practically any adult in a 10 minute radius. They'd _all_ go all protective and be completely embarrassing. He winces. "Especially Aunt Luna."

Harry nods, understanding (especially about Luna; the witch still knows some terrifying hexes and curses) but not quite liking it. "Alright, but if it gets worse, I'm telling."

Scorpius nods with a sigh (and working not to laugh at his uncle's childish warning) and drinks the rest of his hot chocolate, not even minding the luke-warm temperature. He feels better for having said something, even if Bill over-reacts and is a complete shit, refusing to talk to him for a while. It wouldn't last forever and he won't apologize for erring on the side of caution.

* * *

Harry coos adoringly when Jasmine finally burps, her little legs kicking as she gurgles happily. He shifts the 7-month-old to his other arm and lets her finish her bottle. He grins when Draco waddles in, huffing slightly, and lowers himself into the nearest comfortable chair.

"Two days," he says gently, rocking lightly when he notices Jasmine's eyes start to drift closed with increasingly slow, lazy blinks.

"I know," Draco grumbles, running a hand over his huge belly. He's so over being pregnant, he's miserable and counting the days before he can safely have his child delivered. He's not sure if he wants this to be the last time he's cut open, but right now he'll say a firm 'fuck yes', if asked.

He smiles as he watches Jasmine drift off to sleep, her bottle sagging and drooping down to her chest. Just like all of the kids, she's a healthy eater. He rubs his belly some more, marveling at the fact this is the only pregnancy he's had to go through alone.

He shifts in his seat and grumbles, his lower back twinging. "Did I honestly look forward to this?" he mutters quietly. Jasmine isn't a light sleeper, the little girl can sleep through anything, like her brothers, but why chance waking her? He answers himself with a disgruntled sound but doesn't say anything else. He rubs his belly again, sinking into the chair with a sigh. He leans his head back and closes his eyes.

"Did you ever think we'd end up like this?" he asks softly after a long, comfortable silence. The soothing sounds of Harry's rocking and Jasmine's soft baby-snores nearly had him falling asleep, even in the uncomfortable chair.

Harry laughs softly, patting Jasmine's padded bum softly. "No, never in a million years. I can't say I'm disappointed, though."

"No, me either," Draco says softly.

He wouldn't trade his life for anything. The past few years have flown by and he still pauses occasionally to look around in wonder. He never expected to find his true love (clichéd as it might sound). Or to have such a large family, both his own and the large extended family.

It has it's own set of headaches but it's so worth it— especially knowing his children haven't been raised in a emotionally detached, lonely environment like he had been.

The first time he saw his mother since moving to America had been tense but ultimately wonderful. Joe, naturally, had been a perfect gentleman and greeted the pale, cool woman with warmth. He hadn't bothered coaching his husband on 'appropriate' protocols only because he didn't want to change his Joe for anything. Not even for his mother. His mother had the grace to compliment his family, her tone polite (verging on formal) but he saw her eyes warm at the sight of his gathered little family.

Now, of course, things have changed once again and he really can't be happier. Even if his mother being so close does make some situations tense or uncomfortable, he wouldn't have it any other way. And he loved that Joe felt the same way. He isn't blind to the times Joe has offered to bring the children to his mother's house, even if his mother is still reserved and cool around him.

She isn't like that with the children, though ( _all_ of them; not just his boys). And he knows that's why his husband makes the effort and doesn't bitch and whinge about his mother's less-than-friendly nature.

Harry finally gets up and sets Jasmine in her crib, patting her bum when she shifts. It doesn't take long for her to pull her legs up under her and drop off into a deep sleep, her little bum in the air and her arms splayed out.

He takes a long moment to look at his daughter, the familiar feeling of his heart expanding still able to make his eyes prickle and his hands clench together. He jumps a little when Draco is suddenly by his side and leans into the friendly hug. He pats the blonde's belly and grins.

He's really pleased with their happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _***Mary Perkins Bradbury** (1615-1700). She was tried for witchcraft in Salisbury, MA; convicted, but not executed._  
>  _ ****Elizabeth Jackson Howe** (1637-1692). One of the women accused and hanged at Salem's famous witch trials._  
>  _I figured it would be nice to name the school groups after some (sort of famous) American 'witches'.  
>  Thanks for reading! )_（⌒▽⌒ゞ


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